LIREDC Calls Hub Project "Transformative"

The Long Island Economic Development Council (LIREDC) recently dubbed the Ronkonkoma-MacArthur Transit Hub and Accelerate Long Island as transformative, meaning they promise the highest return on investment, scored highly on criteria developed by the LIREDC, address regional objectives, and result in job creation, according to the Town of Brookhaven.

The LIREDC has recommended $500,000 in state funding to match a venture capital investment of $500,000 for Accelerate Long Island and $4 million for sewage treatment plant design for the Ronkonkoma- MacArthur Transit Hub, town officials said.

“I am proud that the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council recognizes what we are doing in Brookhaven to jumpstart our economy,” Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko said in a statement. “If the Long Island Council is successful in receiving funding for its transformative projects, our vision for the Ronkonkoma Hub and the creation of high-tech start-ups will become a reality, resulting in thousands of new jobs.”

The town said the LIREDC called the Ronkonkoma-MacArthur Transit Hub a “a rare collaboration between two large towns, Brookhaven and Islip… that will allow construction of a new transit-oriented, live-work-play destination in a blighted area - and which will strengthen ties between Suffolk’s busiest rail station and a regional airport, LI MacArthur.”

Brookhaven is in the process of selecting a Master Developer for the Hub Project, which is projected to create 2,000 construction jobs, 4,000 permanent jobs, and 7,000 indirect jobs.

“These transformative projects certainly pave the way for Brookhaven becoming a center of high-tech innovation,” said Lesko.