Developer determined to break century-long vacancy streak on LI

Another developer is looking to transform a site by Republic Airport in East Farmingdale that has been vacant for longer than anyone can remember. Its plan for a modest industrial property, however, is anything but a slam dunk.

Acadia Realty Trust is attempting to build a 65,000-square-foot trucking logistics and storage yard on Route 110 near Conklin Street, Newsday reported. The lot is contaminated and in a protected zone for an airport runway, which fueled opposition to previous efforts to bring retail to the site.

Acadia has owned the 19-acre site since 2012, but has already failed in two tries to redevelop it. The property has been unused for around a century.

Acadia’s latest proposed development would consist of two single-story warehouses and a single-story office building. There would also be nine acres of outdoor storage space.

Two of the proposed buildings are directly in the path of a departure runway. The airport wants those moved elsewhere or removed from the proposal, which Acadia has said would make the whole project financially unfeasible.

The site’s airport protection isn’t the only issue Acadia is facing, though. In 2010, the state declared it a Superfund site because of soil contaminated by Fairchild Republic aviation manufacturing. Tests show no groundwater contamination, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

But the lot is a Class 2 state Superfund site, according to the DEC, meaning it is considered a “significant threat” to the environment or public health. In 2015, the state estimated cleanup would cost $250 million and recommended capping the site. Residents attending a recent hearing want the contamination removed, not covered.

Babylon Town’s zoning board would need to approve the warehouse development. 

Separately, Gov. Kathy Hochul recently issued a request for proposals to purchase and redevelop 13 acres of unused land near the airport. The site has been vacant since the 1990s, but is a target for an undetermined amount of housing, including affordable units.

— Holden Walter-Warner

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