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Suffolk ditches master developer at planned Midway Crossing, citing delays

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It’s been seven years since a Chicago-based real estate group was chosen as master developer of an ambitious project called Midway Crossing planned for county-owned land just south of the Ronkonkoma railroad station.

But Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, who took office last year, felt seven years was much too long, and little has gotten done.

So the county has cut ties with the project’s master developer, JLL, a commercial real estate conglomerate, on the planned project — Newsday first reported today.

Suffolk is now seeking new private partners to help develop the land.

“That project is definitely moving [forward] and it’s going to move, because for seven years it didn’t move,” Romaine told Greater Long Island. “Suffolk County has committed [as much as $50 million] in infrastructure alone” to attract private investment.

The next step — now that the county has moved on from JLL — is to issue a call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from would-be private partners.

Romaine said he wants to move forward on the EOI phase “as soon as possible … within the next month.”

Romaine also hinted at a major commitment on the part of New York State that Governor Kathy Hochul might announce within the next few weeks. “I don’t want to pre-empt the governor on that,” Romaine said.

“This has the potential to be a major transportation hub for rail, [including] Amtrak, plane and possibly, at some point, an investment on the part of the county to create a major bus terminal there,” Romaine said.

County spokesman Michael Martino issued this statement on the news the county has cut ties with JLL:

“Today Suffolk County took steps to reimagine the Midway project, paving the way for new ideas and strategies to benefit the surrounding communities, improve infrastructure, and create a powerful economic engine for our county,” he said.

Martino said the Expressions of Interest phase will help “ensure this historic project will become a reality.”

The $2.8 billion Midway Crossing plan under JLL called for a hotel and convention center, health sciences offices, sports, entertainment and retail components. According to Newsday, the plans had “drawn wide support from business leaders but has been plagued by delays and design changes since JLL was picked by the administration of then-County Executive Steve Bellone to lead the project in April 2018.” 

Part of the JLL proposal also called for moving the MacArthur Airport Terminal away from Veterans Memorial Highway and over to Midway Crossing — though the move would need Town of Islip approvals, as it controls the airport.

“The magnitude of this project has the potential to be transformative for the region, and I have every confidence that there is a path forward,” Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter told Greater Long Island.

She also noted that the Town Board recently tabled a move to commit $872,000 from earmarked airport funds to support studies for the terminal move.

“It is important to note, the Town Board tabled the resolution, it was not rejected,” Carpenter said.

Romaine said the county never entered into a contract with JLL. Greater Long Island has reached out to JLL for a response.

Suffolk County is looking to develop a swath of county-owned property south of the Ronkonkoma railroad station, seen here from the Smithtown Avenue overpass, looking north. (Credit: Nick Esposito/GLI file photo)

Top: The Midway Crossing plans under JLL that were designed by Crawford Architects.

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