Previously Published in The Messenger
By Matt Meduri
Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) is not only a fan-favorite regional airport to many Long Islanders, but it’s also an economic hub in the heart of Suffolk County. The current terminal operates just off Veterans Memorial Highway (NY-454), just a few miles south of the Ronkonkoma LIRR station. Six commercial airlines serve the airport; new routes continue to be unveiled.
Local interest and funds have poured into the area. The County is currently working with the MacArthur Business Alliance (MBA) on an economic impact statement of the area surrounding the airport, and Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) visited ISP with a $150 million check for infrastructure improvements. There’s also hope to bring Amtrak to the Ronkonkoma LIRR station.
Last year, the Town issued a request for quotation (RFQ) in search of private investors for a new terminal and a direct connection to the Ronkonkoma station. The developer in question had two options for the terminal: building a new one on the property adjacent to the train station or revamping the existing terminal. Either way, a train-to-terminal connection was required.
This week, Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip) announced the New York City-based developer RXR as their investor. More specifically, Fly Long Island [LI] is a joint venture of RXR and Avports. RXR is known as a major real estate developer with a $16 billion-plus portfolio. They’ve completed office-to-residential conversions on Park Avenue, Broadway, and in Times Square.
RXR is the largest commercial property owner on Long Island and is headquartered in Uniondale. They’ve completed transit-oriented developments in Huntington Station and Hempstead, of note.
Avports is one of the longest-established airport management and operations companies. Their roots go back to the infrastructure division of the now-defunct Pan American World Airways. Notable projects include a $250 million expansion project of Tweed New Haven Airport in Connecticut, terminal revamps in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and work at airports in Albany, Detroit, Teterboro, and Westchester County.
However, Town Council members remain skeptical of the project.
Councilmembers John Lorenzo (C-West Sayville), Mike McElwee (R-West Islip), and DawnMarie Kuhn (R-Bohemia) voted on Tuesday against a $250,000 move that would have funded “outside legal counsel, project management, and financial consultation and airport planning,” according to the agenda. A vote of the majority of the five-member board is required before RXR is officially hired.
Moreover, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) recently released a request for proposals (RFP) for the Ronkonkoma Hub.
Supervisor Carpenter, long a proponent of constructing a north terminal, said in a statement that the $250,000 is a “critical first step, not a final decision.”
“Before we can determine whether a new north terminal at ISP is the right move for our residents, we need real data on cost, feasibility, and long-term impact,” said Carpenter. “Pulling this funding now would mean walking away from that groundwork just as we have engaged a reputable, experienced developer in RXR to help us evaluate the opportunity and the County has indicated its commitment by issuing an RFP on the adjacent land.”
Carpenter added that “exploring this possibility is not the same as committing to it.”
“But we owe it to the taxpayers of Islip to do our due diligence with the professionals, attorneys, and our proposer before closing any doors. I’m asking my colleagues on the Town Board to keep this funding in place so we can continue this process responsibly and transparently.”
A Town of Islip spokesperson added in a written statement, “Fly L.I. Partners has been recommended as the preferred proposer to the Town Board for their action. The Town Board is going through their due diligence process, and the Town will provide updates as warranted.”
Councilman Lorenzo, however, calls for a “wait-and-see” approach.
“We need to talk about economic development
on the south side,” Lorenzo told The Messenger on Tuesday. “If we had some potential massive developers there, we could talk about a north terminal move. But just to move the terminal by itself is something that’s mystifying to me. The current terminal is great as is, and we can make it so much better. We can connect it to the train station now.”
Lorenzo says that a new north terminal would fly in the face of copious funds poured into the existing terminal, especially since one of the sectors isn’t currently operational. That part of ISP has been suggested as a possible customs area to broaden horizons for international flights.
“I’m never a ‘no’; I just don’t see any reason.” Lorenzo has represented the Town’s Fourth Council District since his appointment to the seat in 2023. He won a full, four-year term that November. His district includes the airport.
“We don’t know what the RFP that the County put out on July 3 will produce,” said Lorenzo, adding that it doesn’t “make sense” to spend the $250,000 just yet. That RFP isn’t due until the end of September.
Lorenzo hailed the progress of the area around the train station, such as revamps of the station proper, the Station Yards complex across the street, and more development coming into the Ronkonkoma-Bohemia area. He suggests attracting a major manufacturer or a science component will help attract off-island tourism and provide jobs to Suffolk’s young professionals. He supported the controversial Midway Crossing project pitched in 2022, but a scaled-down version, which could include a convention center, is what he recommends to secure more substantive economic development.
“We need the next Grumman here. People outside of New York would want to fly in here with a convention center, hotel, health sciences, or manufacturing hub. The cart is way before the horse.”
Lorenzo added that, on top of wanting to attract jobs for young professionals to stay in Suffolk, including his own family, the Vets Highway corridor is a “mess” that might not be completely improvable based on how it was “originally structured.” He also cited the economic impact statement jointly produced by the County and the MBA that isn’t published.
Airport economics play a role as well, Lorenzo says,
as the cost per-planement is so cheap at ISP, that the very existence of the current terminal keeps the airlines here.
“If we move that terminal, it will increase the cost. The carriers will just turn more flights out of JFK or LaGuardia. They won’t come here.”
Lorenzo continues to advocate for buses to run up Ocean Avenue to Smithtown Avenue to the Ronkonkoma station for a de facto rail-to-terminal connection. He says that dissenters don’t feel such a move would be “cost-effective.” He says County buses could be filled with local advertisers to help subsidize the transit, and potentially engage new travelers to Long Island.
“This is generational; we’re not putting a Dunkin’ Donuts on the corner. I just don’t see the reason until we can actually make sense of it.”