Hochul to announce housing plan for state-owned land in East Farmingdale

ALBANY— Gov. Kathy Hochul is scheduled to announce Friday that a parcel owned by the state in East Farmingdale will be developed for new housing under her statewide housing initiative.

The housing plan was adopted in the state budget last month.

The 13-acre site, controlled by the state Department of Transportation, is on Conklin Street in an unused part of Republic Airport. Hochul will announce that the state is looking for proposals from developers to transform the site. The state has set an Aug. 7 deadline to receive proposals.

“We just secured a landmark housing deal that will make New York more affordable and livable, and now we're getting to work to turn it into reality," Hochul said in a statement. “Leveraging state-owned land is a significant opportunity to increase housing supply and help New Yorkers find a place to call home."

The project will be in the hamlet of East Farmingdale in the Town of Babylon. Long Island Rail Road tracks border the property to the north and Broadhollow Road borders is to the west. The property is equally close to the LIRR’s Farmingdale and Pinelawn stations, with quick access to Route 110. Some vacant structures will be torn down.

The Hochul administration developed the idea with local officials.

The project “will transform this blighted area while providing much needed housing,” said Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, a Republican.

A walkway and open space are expected to be part of the final plans, Hochul said.

The project is the first use of state land in Suffolk County for housing under the measure adopted April 20 by Hochul and the State Legislature to combat a statewide housing affordability crisis.

The effort seeks to get developers to add more than 15,000 housing units statewide through tax incentives and other enticements as well as by loosening some regulations that developers said stifled development. The crisis is particularly sharp on Long Island where Hochul has said  young New Yorkers often can’t afford to live in the communities in which they were raised.

The state project is an early step in addressing the housing affordability shortage that Hochul has said will require 800,000 new units over the next decade. Greater availability of housing is expected to reduce costs as well as attract more employers, Hochul said.

In East Farmingdale, the state’s Empire State Development Agency worked with Babylon town officials to envision a mixed-use hub for the area. At least 20% of the housing will be for lower-income residents.

The state and town will conduct any needed remediation of ground pollution with the help of up to $4 million in federal funds, Hochul said.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.