From Wyandanch Rising to Brookhaven landfill closure: What to expect across Long Island towns in 2024

Long Island towns, villages and hamlets anticipate seeing a wide variety of issues and projects in 2024, from major redevelopment initiatives in Wyandanch and Ronkonkoma to a new entrance at a Shelter Island ferry.

And in Brookhaven, officials are planning to start closing the town landfill next December, bringing relief to neighboring residents and environmentalists but worrying officials who fear an uptick in illegal dumping and higher waste disposal costs for the region.

Here are major developments expected in the new year:

Babylon

Wyandanch Rising, the $500 million public-private retail-residential redevelopment, will continue its ascent, with the completion of a new building for Academy Charter School.

A mixed-use apartment building known as Building L is expected to be completed in 2024, and the town plans to purchase two private homes on Grand Boulevard to build roadways and a plaza.

Amityville Village is starting several projects using $10 million in state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding, including traffic and pedestrian safety measures and a storefront façade improvement effort. In Lindenhurst, officials are expecting to hear in January which of the 11 projects they submitted to the state will be approved for $4.5 million in state NY Forward monies. 

Brookhaven

Town officials plan to stop taking construction and demolition debris at the landfill in December — the first step toward the 50-year-old dump's full closure by 2026.

In Ronkonkoma, the second phase of Station Yards — the $1 billion mixed-use complex formerly known as Ronkonkoma Hub — is slated to open in late spring near the Long Island Rail Road station. About half of the $265 million second phase's retail section has been leased, and plans also call for 388 luxury rental apartments and two parking garages with electric vehicle charging stations and more than 1,200 parking slots.

East Hampton

Construction on East Hampton Town’s new 22,000-square-foot senior center in Amagansett is expected to begin in July. Construction of the $31.6 million facility — the most expensive project undertaken by the town — should take 18 months.

Glen Cove

City officials will negotiate the future of the catering hall and restaurant at Glen Cove's municipal golf course after a contentious request for proposal process that brought robust community concern.   

Greenport

Travelers to Shelter Island might soon find a new queue for the North Ferry in Greenport.

A $3 million project to reconfigure the entrance and alleviate traffic could get underway, Greenport Mayor Kevin Stuessi said. The project will transform the line from a single lane to six adjacent lanes, he said.

The village also is embarking on a nearly $50,000 project to replace sidewalks in the downtown area, and building improvements are expected to begin at the shuttered Greenport movie theater, which officially will reopen as the North Fork Arts Center in April, according to founder Tony Spiridakis. 

Hempstead

Town officials could find themselves reviewing zoning issues at Nassau Coliseum if plans for a Sands casino at the site move forward.

Liberty Utilities, a private drinking water provider, could be taken over by a public entity as customers seek relief from rate increases.

Huntington

A community center for Huntington Station is on the horizon for next year after a long break. Instead of renovating the James D. Conte Center on East Fifth Street, the town plans to build a field house structure with an indoor soccer field, indoor basketball court, elevated running track and meeting rooms. A community center has been proposed for the area since 2012.

Islip

Residents can look forward to several parks improvement projects, including the ongoing reconstruction of Byron Lake Pool in Oakdale and Brookwood Hall Portico in East Islip. 

Work on the East Islip headquarters for Exchange Ambulance of the Islips will be completed in 2024, along with sewer installation on Carleton Avenue in Central Islip. 

Private projects that will wrap up in Islip include work on Shoregate's 418-unit apartment complex in Bay Shore and the first phase of construction for The Belmont at Eastview, a 300-plus-unit apartment complex at the shuttered state Central Islip Psychiatric Center.

Construction remains years away at Midway Crossing, the $2.8 billion Ronkonkoma redevelopment that would connect Long Island MacArthur Airport with the Ronkonkoma train station.

In 2024, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and state Department of Health will oversee investigative field work to further analyze the extent of chemical contamination in the groundwater and soil at Long Island MacArthur Airport, which was declared a state Superfund site in February.

Long Beach

Residents will be watching to see whether a proposed offshore wind farm is dead or if the controversial plan can be revived.

The current acting city manager, Ronald Walsh, is expected to be replaced. It’s unclear if he’ll stay on in his other role as police commissioner.

North Hempstead

The former site of the Squire Cinemas in Great Neck Plaza, which closed during the pandemic, will be repurposed into a luxury event space with an area for golf simulators.

The Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District plans to begin construction on a $10 million, 10,366-square-foot EMS facility on Cumberland Avenue in Lake Success. 

In Port Washington, the police district is moving forward with an $8.8 million land purchase with the intention of building a new multimillion-dollar police headquarters. Officials could go out for bonding as early as the spring.

Oyster Bay

The Town of Oyster Bay expects Hicksville's long-delayed Downtown Revitalization Initiative to pick up momentum as multiple projects, including a 196-unit mixed-use development on Newbridge Road and other efforts to improve the space surrounding the LIRR station, begin to enter a construction phase.

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said some of the projects covered by a $10 million state grant include LED lighting on the underside of the train tracks, green space for pedestrians and streetscape changes. 

Riverhead

A proposal to pause industrial development in Calverton is one of two moratoriums that could be enacted in January. Development there would stop until the town completes a comprehensive plan for the hamlet in early spring, incoming town Supervisor Tim Hubbard said.

The other moratorium would limit battery energy storage facilities while a state safety panel probes recent fires, he said.

The town also will forge ahead with plans for its town square, breaking ground on an adaptive children’s playground. 

A $125 million project to bring 243 apartments, retail, commercial and a parking garage to a long-blighted lot near the LIRR station in Riverhead is also expected to break ground in 2024. 

Shelter Island

The future of Shelter Island will come into clearer view in 2024 as the town adopts its updated comprehensive plan.

The document outlines the town’s “vision for the future” on issues such as housing, water quality, the economy and land use, officials said.

Smithtown

Another comprehensive plan is in the works in Smithtown, where officials anticipate adopting the document by March. The town has not updated the plan in 65 years.

A sewer project in Kings Park will continue through 2024 and into the following year, officials said.

In St. James, the town is planning to work with Suffolk County officials on connecting the hamlet’s sewer main to the upgraded county disposal plant. The town also will start working on preliminary plans to start sewer connections in the downtown Smithtown area.

Southold

Town officials anticipate breaking ground on a new police station and Justice Court facility. The board is reviewing design proposals for the facility, which has been estimated to cost $20 million.

After adopting a community housing plan, the town is also expected to hire someone to lead its implementation. 

Construction on an upscale 40-room hotel known as The Enclaves in Southold could get underway in February or March, though that may depend on tax benefits the developer is seeking from the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency.

Southampton

Revitalization of Riverside hamlet could take a major step forward with the start of construction on a sewage treatment plant that would pave the way for high-density and mixed-use development, town officials have said.

The Southampton Town Board also has discussed forming a sewer district, as well as financing the town could receive through New York State’s Environmental Facilities Corp., which assists communities on critical water quality infrastructure projects.

With Denise M. Bonilla, Brianne Ledda, Deborah S. Morris, Ted Phillips, Jean-Paul Salamanca, Joe Ostapiuk, Tara Smith, Joe Werkmeister and Darwin Yanes.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.