SUNY buys Selden land from Suffolk

Suffolk County lawmakers have approved the sale of 6.6 acres of county land in Selden to the State University of New York system. The land will be used for a 35,000-square-foot, two-story building to house Empire State College’s new Long Island headquarters and a learning center.

County Executive Steve Levy praised the $660,000 sale. “We are thrilled to attract Empire State College to Suffolk County, and the proximity that it will have to our Community College Selden campus will provide exciting collaborative opportunities for students,” Levy said in a release Tuesday night.

Legis. Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) said he was “glad to welcome Empire State College to the area,” describing the arrangement as “another example of how government can facilitate positive development that will not adversely affect a community. Combining Suffolk [County ] Community College with Empire State College’s online educational opportunities can only enhance the ability of Suffolk County residents to get an affordable education right here in their community.”

The land is part of a 61-acre parcel owned by the county that fronts College Road, east of the SCCC Ammerman campus in Selden.