MacArthur Airport expansion plans: Developers register to make their pitch

Multiple developers are vying for the contract to expand Long Island MacArthur Airport about a month after Islip Town launched a search and outlined two options to be considered in any expansion plan. 

About a dozen companies signed up by the May 2 deadline to compete for the contract over the next seven months, according to Republican Islip Councilman Michael McElwee.

The goal is to connect the airport to the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station, north of the airport, and create an upgraded terminal that could accommodate additional flights.

“The quality of respondents reflects positively on the importance of the project and the future of the airport,” Islip spokesperson Caroline Smith wrote in an emailed statement. She declined to share the names of the developers or how many signed up.

Islip, in a request for developer qualifications, or RFQ, on April 8, gave potential developers two choices to consider: Build a terminal at the north end of the airport or revamp the existing south terminal.

Those registered have until Aug. 14 to choose which option to pursue.

Though the project remains largely conceptual — Islip Town doesn't yet have cost estimates or economic impact projections — two town board members have sounded off on which option they prefer. McElwee and Conservative Councilman John Lorenzo, whose district includes the airport, staunchly favor the south terminal option. Both say they believe building a new terminal to the north would be unnecessary and bring too little benefit to justify such a large-scale overhaul.

Islip’s top official, Republican Supervisor Angie Carpenter, has historically championed the north terminal. She said she still has a preference but declined to specify it during an interview.

Meanwhile, the fact that town officials have a preference at this stage of the process has frustrated Republican Councilman James O’Connor to the extent that he questioned why Islip is engaging in the dual proposal process at all. He and Democratic Councilman Jorge Guadron have not signaled a preference. 

"It is obvious that some on the town board already know how they want the process to conclude," O'Connor said. "It makes me question why we are even doing the whole ‘dog and pony’ show.”

Weighing an LIRR connection

The aim of the airport expansion is to secure a larger share of the region’s air travel market, according to the RFQ.

The upgraded terminal is meant to attract more customers with new flight options, while the LIRR connection is supposed to make it easier for a larger swath of the region's flyers to commute to Islip, rather than flying out of competing airports like LaGuardia and Kennedy.

A core difference between north and south terminal options is how much emphasis is placed on the LIRR connection. The north option is centered around the establishment of that connection, while the south treats it as an ancillary piece of a terminal expansion-focused project.

The north terminal option was the original plan in 2021. It was part of a larger Suffolk County-run project called Midway Crossing that aimed to construct, among other things, a hotel and convention center on the county-owned property between the LIRR station and airport.

County Executive Edward P. Romaine canceled Midway Crossing in January over issues with its developer. But last month, the county reopened development plans.

The north side of the airport is only about 2,000 feet from the LIRR station. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in February the state would spend $150 million to help make that connection.

Islip’s town board soured on the north terminal in December when it voted 4-1 against Carpenter’s request to pump nearly $900,000 into it. Carpenter's was the only "yes" vote.

Preference for existing terminal

 Lorenzo questioned whether the LIRR connection would generate enough activity to justify such a reconfiguration of the airport. 

“I have a hard time believing that someone is going to get on at the LIRR station and take the train [to Islip] to fly out,” Lorenzo said in an interview. “They have Newark, LaGuardia and JFK right in their backyard.”

The inclusion of a south terminal option was born from behind-the-scenes negotiations between town board members after December's failed vote, according to O’Connor.

Lorenzo said the current terminal is “underutilized” and Islip should focus on bringing it to its full potential before building a new one. 

“I think we can make the airport so much better and … attract some really nice flights out of here by just putting more effort into it and running the airport a little bit better,” Lorenzo said.

A direct walkway from the south terminal to the LIRR station would be impossible without crossing MacArthur's runways, however. McElwee has instead floated the idea of "setting up an electric bus, a monorail, a train — any other options to connect us" as part of a south terminal project.

The northern option puts "too much focus on this fictitious demand to take a train for an hour to get to the airport, rather than focus on the 1.3 million people on Long Island using the airport currently," McElwee told Newsday.

The next step for developers will be an optional tour of the project site at the end of this month, after which they will continue to compete and submit plans for the project through December. 

Islip is expected to choose the winning company in January.

By Sam Kmack

sam.kmack@newsday.com

Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.