Will Suffolk, state strike a deal to develop Ronkonkoma South?

Daily Point

An alternative: County and Islip Town could restart joint venture for site

Even as Station Yards to the north continues to flourish, there’s been little movement to develop the portion of the Ronkonkoma Hub south of the Long Island Rail Road tracks.

Now, The Point has learned that there have been conversations about the state buying this 48-acre site from the county, which could allow the governor to jumpstart development there, but would require coordination between the state, county and Islip Town.

Gov. Kathy Hochul last year committed $150 million in infrastructure funds for the area, with a focus on upgrading Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Sources with knowledge of the state-county conversations noted that a purchase deal for the county land could include revenue sharing to give Suffolk an ongoing piece of the site’s economic activity.

But while discussions about such a transaction have certainly occurred, both county and state officials publicly refused to put much weight on them.

“The county has had no meeting with the state concerning the sale of the County-owned property,” Michael Martino, spokesman to Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, said in a statement.

Hochul spokesman Gordon Tepper emphasized the governor’s infrastructure commitment, adding: “The logistics and the issues they have to work out are between the county and the town.”

A deal between the state and county is not the only possibility for developing Ronkonkoma South. Also on the table: restarting the so-called “local development corporation” or LDC, which was approved by the county legislature in 2022 and is still valid, sources said. That entity could oversee the development process, but first, the county and town would have to jointly fund the LDC and appoint members to it.

Sources said the past appointments could serve as holdovers. The town is expected to take on the issue of funding the LDC as soon as its next board meeting.

An LDC could remove friction between the county and town over how to proceed with Ronkonkoma South, sources said. “I think unfortunately we have a lot of finger-pointing at each other and no cooperation,” one source said. Either state or LDC involvement, the source added, “would make the project much more possible.”

Romaine previously received three responses to a “request for expressions of interest” on the land. Syosset developer Ed Blumenfeld, who proposed medical, commercial and entertainment development, said he remains “very interested if we got clear-cut direction that this would happen.”

What happens with the county land is key to the town’s portion, including the airport. A bidding process for upgrading the airport, including the notion of moving the terminal to the north, resulted in two finalists. The town is assessing those proposals. If the town moves forward, a bidder could take over airport operations. If that process fails, however, some have suggested the county, the state Department of Transportation, or the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey could play a role in the airport’s future.

But as of now, no one is seriously contemplating a change of ownership for the airport.

That’s good news for Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, who said she recognized the need for county and town collaboration, one of the conflicts that has kept the Nassau Hub mostly empty all these years.

“We’ve got a glaring example of what not to do in Nassau,” Carpenter said. “Now is the last bite of the apple of coming up with a real regionally significant impactful project for the region.”

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

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Quick Points

LI mysteries deepen with absent politician

• Call it the Long Island version of “Where’s Waldo?” New York State Assemb. David McDonough (R-Merrick) missed 100 votes this year alone and reportedly hasn’t been at the State Capitol for over two years, according to a Newsday news division story. Seems like you’d have a better chance of finding Exits 47 and 54 on the LIE than McDonough in the Capitol.
• Republican officials from Suffolk County and Brookhaven Town gathered last week in Selden to decry New York State’s dawdling work of repairing potholes. One level of government complaining about another's lack of pothole repairs falls in the “do as I say not as I do” category of political criticism.
• Drivers face tougher penalties for violations now that the Department of Motor Vehicles has implemented its new license point system. DMV officials say the move will lead to more license suspensions and revocations for safety-related offenses. What a novel idea -- increase penalties for dangerous driving to make roads safer for everyone.
• The extreme and prolonged cold this February will likely lead to a decline in rat populations in New York City and on Long Island. The region’s human population declined, too, as snowbirds migrated south in greater numbers.
• President Donald Trump announced last week that January jobs data proves “The Golden Age of America is upon us!!!” Celebrations may be on hold until party favors drop in price.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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