Aerospace company receives $1.23M in tax breaks

An aerospace company is relocating to Bohemia — an area known as Long Island’s hub for aerospace technology — after the Islip Town Board authorized it to receive more than $1 million in tax breaks.

Aeroflex Plainview Inc., which has offices in Plainview and Hauppauge, will be consolidating and bringing to Bohemia 246 jobs with the expectation of creating 25 additional jobs in two years, Islip officials said.

Aeroflex will receive $1.23 million in tax breaks through the Islip Town Industrial Development Agency over the course of a 12-year lease that includes abatements of $63,750 from the mortgage recording tax, $602,000 in sales tax and more than $567,000 in property tax.

The Islip board approved the agreement with a 5-0 vote Nov. 20.

Aeroflex is owned by England-based Cobham Plc, one of the largest aerospace manufacturing companies in the United Kingdom and globally. Aeroflex develops technology for commercial airlines and militaries.

Representatives with Aeroflex and Cobham could not be reached for comment.

William Mannix, executive director of Islip’s IDA, said Aeroflex brings with it an array of jobs from entry level to high-paying scientific positions.

“Whenever there is a company that has international ownership like this company does, it is really important for us to step up to the plate and keep them here — on Long Island,” he said. “They will be consolidating their operations under one roof, but they could have easily made decisions to move elsewhere.”

Aeroflex will move into a 127,736-square-foot building on Johnson Avenue. In the agreement, the Islip IDA will acquire the lease for the building and the land it's on, Mannix said. Aeroflex will occupy nearly 96,000 square feet of the building, and could later occupy the entire building, he said.

The property is owned by the Islip IDA. The building's landlord is Aerotech Industrial LLC. Aeroflex will pay $9.55 million in the transaction for renovations and equipment, Mannix said.

Contracts for the agreement are expected to be completed by the end of the year. Aeroflex could move into the Bohemia office by next fall, Mannix said.

He added that Aeroflex is moving to Long Island’s epicenter for aerospace technology, the Veterans Highway corridor near Long Island MacArthur Airport, which encompasses the industrial areas of Bohemia, Ronkonkoma and some of Holbrook. Islip’s IDA’s website boasts about attracting aerospace companies, such as Data Device Corp., CPI Aero and North Atlantic Industries.

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said in a statement Aeroflex is making the right move by relocating to Bohemia.

“The town has aggressive programs that incentivize businesses to establish, expand or relocate within the town adding jobs to the local economy," she said.