Hochul finds 13 acres on Long Island for housing

For a year and a half, Gov. Kathy Hochul publicly lamented the paucity of housing built in New York, and especially in suburban areas such as Long Island. In the process, she realized that it wasn’t only towns and cities that were keeping production down.

The state itself had development sites hiding in plain view. One was 13 acres of unused land near Republic Airport in Farmingdale.

Last week, the governor issued a request for proposals to purchase and redevelop the parcel, Patch reported. It was the first RFP under the Redevelopment of Underutilized Sites for Housing program, or RUSH — part of the state budget package that included most of Hochul’s housing priorities.

The Conklin Street site, owned by the Department of Transportation, has sat vacant since the 1990s, becoming “blighted” in the eyes of the state. Technically, it is part of the airport, but its use for airplane manufacturing ended long ago and it doesn’t serve Republic in any way.

Empire State Development, which is running the RFP process, anticipates that 20 percent of a development’s housing would be set aside for households earning 80 percent of the area median income. It is not clear how many housing units the site could accommodate.

In addition to homes, the development is expected to include public open space, parking and an energy-efficient design. The state budget created a $500 million capital fund to develop up to 15,000 homes on state-owned land.

Proposals are due Aug. 7 for the Farmingdale site, which is bordered by Conklin Street, Broadhollow Road and Long Island Rail Road tracks. It’s a mile from two LIRR stations and abuts Route 110, which should attract developers. Possible downsides include LIRR train horns, airplane noise and pollution needing remediation. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing up to $4 million in grant money for the site. 

Hochul has spent much of her governorship looking for ways to address the state’s housing crisis. The enacted budget includes a tax incentive program for mixed-income and 100 percent affordable new construction or conversions to multifamily.

“Leveraging state-owned land is a significant opportunity to increase housing supply and help New Yorkers find a place to call home,” Hochul said in a statement.

— Holden Walter-Warner

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