Life Sciences Hub Anchors $2.8B Mixed-Use Project on Long Island
JLL leads public-private partnership developing 179 acres tied to rail/air transit improvements.
Transit-oriented, mixed-use projects are in demand in the emerging post-pandemic economy of 2022, and the life-sciences sector thus far has maintained its momentum as a driver for growth.
A $2.8B mixed-use development moving forward in a growing transit hub in the middle of Long Island is aiming for the sweet spot of this trifecta of growth trends.
JLL is spearheading a public-private partnership that plans to build Midway Crossing, a 2.7M SF project in Ronkonkoma, NY—about 50 miles east of NYC—that will be anchored by a life sciences hub including medical research and health care facilities along with a STEM educational institute.
Central to the development are recent and planned improvements to the transit infrastructure in proximity to the Midway Crossing site, including the Ronkonkoma Long Island Railroad (LIRR) stations and nearby Long Island MacArthur Airport.
In partnership with the Town of Islip and Suffolk County, JLL is planning to build a mixed-use development on a 179-acre site of underused and undeveloped land, mostly owned by the town and the county. The new life sciences hub will be part of a massive development including a hotel, conventional center, and spectator sports facilities.
The site sits a few miles from the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island’s premier research facility.
Central to the plans for Midway Crossing are more than $15B in transportation improvements NY’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is making as part of the LIRR’s East Side Access project, which has created addition track space on the railroad’s main line, which runs through Ronkonkoma, and enhanced commuter connections between Ronkonkoma and Grand Central Station on Manhattan’s East Side.
Midway Crossing aims to connect rail and air assets in the area with a walkable 1,800-foot corridor linking the Ronkonkoma LIRR station with MacArthur Airport.
The Midway Crossing development will include both indoor and outdoor sports venues that seat an estimated 3K to 5K spectators, respectively.
The developers originally were hoping to include a 17K seat sports arena that would have been the home of the NHL franchise in Long Island, the Islanders. However, the Islanders opted to build a new arena at NY’s Belmont Park racetrack on the border of Nassau County and Queens.
The Long Island Regional Planning Council has designated the Midway Crossing project a regional priority. The public-private partnership is aiming to break ground in 2025.