Central Islip sewer project, now completed, seen as a 'game changer' for downtown development

State, town and county officials announced on Tuesday the completion of a $13.7 million sewer project in downtown Central Islip that they hope will spur long-sought development there.

The project includes about 4,500 feet of new sewer line installed along Carleton Avenue, according to state officials, with “an average flow of 277,000 gallons per day.” Civic leaders and government officials at a news conference touted the infrastructure as “vital to the success” of the hamlet’s downtown by allowing restaurants and increased density.

“The sewers are a game changer. We will now really be able to see a vibrant downtown that we haven't had ever,” said Nancy Manfredonia, executive director of the Central Islip Civic Council, to a reporter after the news conference. “We’ll have restaurants, new apartments; it’s amazing what sewers can do.”

“It’s all part of the development of this community, to bring it to a higher level,” added Debbie Cavanagh, president of the Central Islip Coalition of Good Neighbors.

By increasing wastewater capacity, the new sewer system will allow denser development of the Central Islip downtown, according to state officials. Previously, the area was served only by septic systems — which meant developers could not build "wet use" establishments like restaurants, or "mid- and high-density projects over two stories."

"Nothing says happy holidays better than a new sewer system. This is not only infrastructure to help improve the local economy, but also it will protect the groundwater and coastal waters nearby," said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the environmental nonprofit Citizens Campaign for the Environment.

Expanding the town's sewer system is "a great idea," she added. "The more sewers, the less septics and cesspools we will have, which means less untreated sewage will be seeping into our groundwater and eventually entering our harbors and bays." 

Cavanagh said the community also needs the government to elevate the train tracks crossing Carleton Avenue to ease traffic.

“When you want to … revitalize the downtown, you can’t just put the infrastructure in on the buildings and the apartments without taking care of the roads and the railroad tracks,” she said.

Her concern about the railroad tracks was echoed by Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine at the news conference, who said an overpass is needed for the area. 

The sewer line project was partially funded with $2 million from the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which granted $10 million in 2018 to Central Islip, one of more than half a dozen Long Island communities selected for the program.

Other Central Islip projects funded by the initiative include streetscape improvements along Carleton Avenue, developing a 5-mile history trail, and redeveloping multiple mixed-use developments, including one with a public plaza on the site of a former Long Island Rail Road station.

Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter highlighted community involvement in creating a plan to invest the $10 million grant.

“Literally hundreds of people” attended community engagement hearings, she said, adding that the finished sewer line “eliminates prior development restrictions in our downtown corridor.”

“We are already seeing interest from new businesses looking to invest in our community,” she said at the news conference. 

Projects like the sewer line are “what DRI was meant to do,” said New York Secretary of State Walter Mosley to a reporter after the news conference.

The initiative, which has awarded $800 million to 81 communities across the state since 2016, “was meant to bring people to the table understanding that their worth is valued, their opinions are valued, but more importantly that we put resources to those values so that we attract developers and attract the people who want to transform this community,” he added. 

Besides the state funds, the sewer system was otherwise funded with $7.2 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The rest of the funds came from the county and town.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who helped secure federal funds for the project, in a statement also highlighted the role the sewer project will play in bolstering “Islip’s local economy by updating its wastewater infrastructure, creating jobs and generating investment in the area.” 

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.