Heatherwood wins bid for 500-unit East Farmingdale project

Commack-based Heatherwood Communities was selected by the state to build nearly 500 apartments on a long-vacant East Farmingdale site. 

The developer, which answered the request for proposals issued in May 2024, plans to build a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, as well as townhouse units, in buildings up to five stories. The project includes 630 parking spaces, with a covered garage, both indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, a landscaped walking trail, and an “Airplane Park” public open space honoring the site’s aviation history, according to a statement from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. 

“Heatherwood is excited to partner with the governor‘s office, the State of New York and the Town of Babylon on this generational development opportunity,” Chris Capece, Heatherwood president, said in the statement. “To reposition a blighted and underutilized site that’s laid fallow for decades, for high-quality multifamily housing in the 110 corridor, which holds Long Island’s highest concentration of jobs with adjacent retail uses, is a unique opportunity for us as Long Islanders. As Heatherwood continues to grow its footprint nationally, we’re proud to invest locally to make our home region a better place.” 

Sean Sallie, Heatherwood’s senior director of planning and development, told LIBN the company is ready to go. “It’s a multi-tiered process with the state, the Federal Aviation Agency and the town,” Sallie said. “We have tasks ahead of us, but we’re confident we’re going to deliver for the state and the town.” 

Currently owned by the New York State Department of Transportation as part of Republic Airport, the site along Conklin Street has been the subject of several past proposals for development. 

Some remediation may be needed on site for potential subsurface environmental contamination, which will be supported by an up to $4 million Department of Housing and Urban Development grant to the Town of Babylon, as LIBN previously reported. 

The narrow strip of land once owned by Fairchild Republic stretches east from Route 110 to New Highway and has gone from aviation hub to industrial ghost town. On the south side of Conklin Street is the 56-acre Airport Plaza, a 450,000-square-foot retail center near the main Fairchild Republic aircraft plant. But since Fairchild closed operations in 1987, nothing has been taking off on the abandoned site.  

In 1927, the Ranger Aircraft Engine Corp. was the first aviation firm to locate on the northern strip of the Fairchild property, where it constructed manufacturing and test facilities for aircraft engines. 

Republic Aviation Corp. purchased the property in 1955 and used the existing facilities for research and development and office space. The Farmingdale Co. owned the property from 1965 to 1972, when Fairchild Industries purchased it and used it as warehouse and office space. It closed in 1987, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.  

Save for a small right-of-way controlled by the Long Island Rail Road, which borders the site on the north, the parcel is now owned by the DOT. Over the years, ideas for redevelopment – more retail, a train station, housing – have come mostly from local politicians, businesses and the site’s largest neighbor, Republic Airport. 

“For far too long, this state-owned property has sat vacant and underutilized, holding back the potential of an entire community. All New Yorkers deserve the opportunity to have a quality, affordable place to call home,” Governor Hochul said in the statement. “By leveraging state-owned land and partnering with experienced local developers, we are turning our historic housing commitments into reality and building a more affordable New York in communities across the state, including on Long Island.”