Property development in Freeport

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Two parcels of property along the Sunrise Highway corridor are ripe for development. Mayor Robert Kennedy told The Leader that the village is continuing to explore options to develop Plaza West as well as the DOT property just west of Meadowbrook Parkway.

Scaffolding has been removed from the Meadowbrook Bank building on Sunrise Highway. “The building is out of litigation and the property and structure are for sale,” said Mayor Kennedy. While the village did issue an RFP for the Plaza West parcel, Mayor Kennedy said the two proposals the village received for development did not “include a hotel and we believe this would be a very positive thing for Freeport,” he said. Mayor Kennedy and the village trustees have hired HVS, a marketing assessment company, to determine the property’s value as well as determine how viable the site would be for a hotel.

Additionally, Mayor Kennedy said the village is planning a $30 million project for several acres on Sunrise Highway, just west of the Meadowbrook Parkway, now being used by the state DOT. This development, which has a tentative agreement, includes 220 apartments, several commercial stores and a small park.

In other news, Mayor Kennedy said he would still like to move the Department of Public Works from the Industrial Park in south Freeport to the Armory on Babylon Turnpike, north of Sunrise Highway. Mayor Kennedy has written a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo asking him not to sign state legislation that would deed the building and land of the Armory to the Cedarmore Corporation. The Cedarmore Corporation is looking to set up a youth services program for at risk youth at the Armory.

Mayor Kennedy said that while the Cedarmore Corporation “runs great programs, the land should be in the hands of the village. If we move DPW up north, we can sell the property [in the Industrial Park] for recurring revenue. Then we don’t have to be concerned with mitigation costs in case our DPW facility floods in south Freeport. This better serves the people of Freeport,” he said.

– Laura Schofer