Planning board approves ice rink at closed Dowling College campus in Shirley

Brookhaven’s planning board has approved site plans for an 81,000-square-foot ice hockey complex and three warehouses at the former Dowling College campus in Shirley.

The board’s decision Thursday to approve the site plan moves the long-anticipated redevelopment of the dormant 105-acre property closer to reality.

The $190 million project, developed by Hampshire Venture Partners LLC, will bring two sheets of ice, spectator seating, locker rooms and a concession area to the William Floyd Parkway site — facilities that will be open to all Brookhaven residents and designed for both competitive hockey and public skating.

“When completed, this will be available to all Brookhaven residents and suitable for competitive play and public skating,” Brookhaven Town Councilmember Karen Dunne Kesnig said.

The approval comes roughly a month after the town scheduled a public hearing on the proposal, which Greater Long Island first reported in February.

Beyond the rink, the redevelopment includes a dedication of 21 acres of open space to the town.

Separately, Brookhaven has taken ownership of 23 acres of former Dowling athletic fields that are also part of the campus. Those fields require extensive repairs, Dunne Kesnig noted, but will ultimately be available to residents.

Dowling College operated its aeronautics school at the Shirley campus before the institution declared bankruptcy and closed in 2016. The property has sat largely unused since.

Hampshire Venture Partners purchased the site several years ago.

_{Top: Artist rendering of proposed ice rink (Courtesy of Town of Brookhaven).}