LIBN Staff //December 28, 2023 //
2023: How the Long Island region kept the momentum going
LIBN Staff //December 28, 2023 //
When summing up 2023 on Long Island, it’s safe to say there was no shortage of business news that left its mark on the region’s economy. This includes commercial and residential real estate, healthcare, law, accounting, colleges and universities, nonprofits and more.
A remnant of the COVID-related restrictions was the hybrid work environment. Still, Long Islanders relished meeting again in person. Whether it was through business transactions, real estate deals, economic summits or networking events, the overwhelming consensus was that in-person connections can never be replaced by online platforms such as Zoom.
Small businesses had to overcome challenges from inflation pressures, and in real estate, both residential and commercial sectors struggled with escalating interest rates. Meanwhile, big infusions of philanthropic dollars bolstered Long Island’s healthcare systems and nonprofits. All eyes returned once again to the Nassau Hub, where the Sands began pitching a multibillion-dollar casino, which has brought support but also got tied up in court. The year saw advances in affordable housing, commercial redevelopments and downtown revitalization. Suffolk residents also elected Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine as their new county executive, while George Santos was ousted from Congress for alleged fraudulent activities.
Here’s how LIBN covered some of Long Island’s biggest business stories of the year:
Site work to start on long-awaited affordable housing project
More than 44 years after it was first proposed, an affordable housing project in East Northport is finally getting started.
Site work on the development called Matinecock Court is slated to begin in the next week or so, as its developers will clear the 14.5-acre wooded property at the northwest corner of Elwood Road and Pulaski Road.
The site-clearing will prepare the property for construction of 146 limited-equity cooperative homes with monthly maintenance fees ranging from $1,300 to $1,900, depending on the size of the unit. Prospective residents of Matinecock Court will have to meet income requirements that restrict ownership in the gated community to households earning between $47,000 and $95,000 a year.
The development will bring 17 two-story buildings consisting of 18 one-bedroom units, 89 two-bedroom units, 38 three-bedroom units and a two-bedroom unit for the superintendent. Six of the units are slated for residents with developmental disabilities. The project will include a community building and its own sewage treatment plant.
First pitched in 1978, the East Northport development has survived multiple court challenges, one of which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, as the Town of Huntington and local residents have tried in vain to derail it. The project, advanced by Greenlawn-based nonprofit Housing Help, was stalled until a new developer, Levittown-based D&F Development Group, was tapped in Jan. 2021 to see it through.
In 2017, D&F completed Long Island’s first limited-equity housing co-op called Highland Green in Melville. The $34 million project created a two-story, income-restricted, 117-townhouse community on an 8-acre site once occupied by a commercial nursery on Ruland Road. Purchasers bought into the co-ops for low down payments – from $1,880 to $2,600 – and part of their $940 to $1,300 monthly maintenance charges builds equity in the complex while helping to pay down a tax-exempt bond used to finance its construction.
Like Matinecock Court, Highland Green was advanced through a federal lawsuit filed by the NAACP that challenged the town’s original plan to build one-bedroom rental apartments at the site. The affordable apartments were part of the deal that allowed for increased density in the building of age-restricted condominiums at The Greens at Half Hollow.
But the lawsuit maintained said building only one-bedroom apartments discriminates against families and that offering rentals wasn’t the same as offering home ownership. So instead, the Highland Green development offered 72 one-bedroom units, 39 two-bedroom units and six three-bedroom units, as well as the opportunity to own some equity in the co-op.
Completion of the Matinecock Court project is expected in the first quarter of 2025.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
LI firm changes name to Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran
Jaspan Schlesinger, the 76-year-old law firm in Garden City, is now Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran. The name change went into effect on Jan. 1.
The name change is in recognition of the “significant contributions” of Jothy Narendran, the law firm’s co-managing partner, who has served in this role since 2020.
Narendran joined the firm as partner in 2010, ultimately becoming instrumental to its growth. She chairs the firm’s Banking and Financial Services practice group, comprising 25 attorneys and legal assistants.
“As part of our continued growth, I believe it was time to acknowledge Jothy’s vast contributions to the firm by adding her as a named partner of the firm,” Steven Schlesinger, the firm’s co-managing partner, said in a statement.
The new firm name “is more appropriate for a firm with our history of supporting equity and inclusion and our firm’s current position in the region’s legal landscape,” he said.
Well-known in the region’s legal and business communities, Narendran has received numerous professional recognitions over the years.
– ADINA GENN
Church buys GEICO Woodbury property for $27M
After a previous sale fell through, GEICO has sold its sprawling Woodbury property for $27 million.
The buyer for the 236,365-square-foot office building on 20 acres at 750 Woodbury Road is the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
It is unclear what the religious organization has planned for the property and church officials were unable to be reached for comment.
In 2021, GEICO was in contract to sell its Woodbury property to a New Jersey-based developer, but the deal fell through when it became apparent that Town of Oyster Bay wouldn’t allow a redevelopment of the site into a warehousing and distribution complex. Real estate sources say GEICO would have realized close to $48 million if that first sale would have come to fruition.
The Tilles family sold the Woodbury land to GEICO some 50 years ago, and the four-story, red brick and glass building served as an anchor for the family’s development of the Woodbury office park since it opened in Oct. 1973, Peter Tilles told LIBN in 2021.
Meanwhile, GEICO signed a lease for 200,000 square feet of office space at 1 Huntington Quadrangle in Melville, where it had announced to employees in Nov. 2021 that the company would eventually relocate to. The Chevy Chase, Md.-based company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, had planned to move into its new digs in the fourth quarter of this year, once renovations on the Melville offices are completed.
However, since then, real estate sources say GEICO has been trying to sublease the Melville space. Officials at GEICO could not be reached for comment.
While GEICO settled for a smaller payday in the sale of its property, the biggest loser in the Woodbury transaction is likely the Town of Oyster Bay, since as a religious organization, the new owner of the property would be tax exempt. As of 2021, the annual property taxes on the former GEICO property was about $1.227 million.
The Woodbury sale, which closed on the last week of December, was brokered by Daniel Abbondandolo, Joegy Raju, David Bernhaut, Gary Gabriel and Ryan Larkin of Cushman & Wakefield.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Hiring employers must perform due diligence; avoid getting ‘Santosed’
He admitted to lying about his education and professional career, and now his background and finances are under investigation.
If George Santos, the newly sworn in congressman from New York, worked in business, he’d be fired, outraged voters from his district say.
Those voters have a point.
“If you lie on the application and to me in an interview, what will you do on the job? It’s a big red flag for me,” said Barbara DeMatteo, director of HR Consulting at Portnoy, Messinger, Pearl & Associates in Jericho.
Of Santos, “no one did their due diligence,” said Barbara Frankel, CEO of Coaching Initiatives in East Quogue, who has an HR background in banking and finance.
Experts in human resources, team-building and leadership told Long Island Business News that willfully lying on an application is a terminable offense.
It’s an aspect that should be “covered in the employee handbook’s general standards of conduct,” said Nicole Craveiro, chief HR officer of CraveHRO in Ronkonkoma. “Some handbooks say lying” on an application is a firing offense.
How prevalent is faking credentials? As many as 42.5 million Americans could have lied their way to a job, according to a recent survey from StandOutCV, a provider of CV resources and services, which in October surveyed 1,785 adults in the United States.
In the business world, willful lying during the job application process can trigger big consequences, from getting “fired, removed from the hiring process, or blacklisted completely,” according to StandOutCV.
And for good reasons, experts say.
Trust is a big factor, said Frankel, who works with leaders, teams and organizations.
Employers must “verify someone is who they say they are,” Frankel said. “It’s critical for a leader to build a great team. You can’t build a great team without trust.” Those team members need to trust the people they work with and their leader, she said.
The interview process itself can be an eye-opener.
“I take a look at what are their gaps in employment and do they make sense,” DeMatteo said. “Red flags are so important.”
Yet there are plenty of instances where gaps make perfect sense, including caring for relatives, Frankel said.
DeMatteo looks to see if the resume and application match. It also leaves room to spot new insights, including if the person even bothered to fill out the work experience portion of the application, rather than simply say “See resume.” If the person won’t fill out that portion of the application, if hired, “what will they do on the job?” DeMatteo asked.
DeMatteo recommends that at least two people conduct interviews, and coordinate what each person would talk about, and “it shouldn’t be a rinse and repeat,” she said. For example, as an HR expert, DeMatteo spends about an hour speaking with the candidate about the person’s background, work history and what they liked about past job roles.
It’s in these kinds of conversations that DeMatteo can spot discrepancies.
“I’ve seen everything,” she said. For instance, one candidate spoke of her experience in strategic decision-making and negotiations. But when DeMatteo asked, “what did you negotiate,” the candidate “fumbled,” saying, ‘Oh, no, the CEO made the decisions. I was in the room.’”
The second interviewer would dig into the specifics of the responsibilities of the job.
“This is why the application is so critical,” especially when the applicant has signed it, affirming that the information provided is “true to the best of their knowledge,” DeMatteo said.
The application can serve as a tool if it turned out the person willfully lied on it. If the person has not yet been hired, it’s usually fitting to thank them for coming in and note that the organization has “decided to consider someone else,” DeMatteo said. But the employer should document why in case the candidate files a discrimination claim.
“All candidates have a right to their background check,” Craveiro said.
These candidates might question if the background check highlighted something that was unrelated to the job role that prevented them from getting hired.
If the employer wants to terminate a recent hire, “the person has to have a darn good reason,” which is why she advises to “document it as if I had to explain to a judge and jury why I let the person go,” DeMatteo said.
Background checks, once an offer is made, are key to a good hiring experience, experts said.
And while larger organizations tend to have the deep pockets to conduct deep dives into a candidate, these steps are worthwhile investments, experts said.
“It’s more cost-effective” when one considers the expense of “hiring, onboarding and training,” Frankel said.
However, when it comes to criminal background checks, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission “discourages blanket exclusions of individuals convicted of criminal offenses,” according to the Society for Human Resource Management. To determine the viability of a candidate who has been convicted of criminal offenses, consider “the nature and gravity of the offense; the time passed since the offense; [and] the nature of the job sought,” according to SHRM.
All of this can be a lot to navigate.
“I never recommend to clients that they do it themselves – a third party can guide you,” Craveiro said. That’s because there could be potential risks and liabilities for anyone who is not familiar with all of the nuances of federal, state and local laws.
Had more due diligence about Santos been conducted, and broadcasted, many voters would not have cast their vote for him, according to published reports. And now he is persona non-grata to the people of his local party. On Wednesday, Nassau GOP chairman Joe Cairo stood with dozens of elected officials and said, “on behalf of the Nassau County Republican Committee, I’m calling for [Santos’] immediate resignation.”
In the House chamber, Santos was often photographed alone, seemingly ostracized. It’s an indicator of what can happen when toxicity is added to the mix. And the outcome is still to be determined.
Though it’s possible in the business world that the person may integrate well with the team, if it’s “not a good person on top of that, it can create a bad culture,” Craveiro said. “If you don’t discipline someone, think about the message it sends to the rest of the team.”
Distrusting behavior can “create an environment where people don’t thrive,” Frankel said. “To do their best work, people need to be fully engaged and be the happiest and most productive. It helps with retention. People feel empowered and thrive, but it only works where there’s trust.”
And while in some instances, people feel they must oversell themselves, saying they have certain skills when they don’t, that’s not necessary, in order to get hired, Frankel said.
“If you don’t have the skills, you can learn them – there are so many online courses you can take,” Frankel said.
“Some are free,” she added. “Start the training and put it on your resume with an expected completion date. Or volunteer somewhere to develop a portfolio.”
But, she said, “it shocks me that some people do not know that you can’t lie and that everything has to be truthful.”
– ADINA GENN
Sands to buy Coliseum lease to develop casino
Las Vegas Sands plans to purchase the long-term lease of the Nassau Coliseum site to develop a “multi-billion-dollar” casino and entertainment project at the Uniondale property.
Sands, which has been lobbying heavily to snag one of the three downstate casino licenses, will partner with RXR on the planned project, as RXR remains the master developer of the Coliseum site. But Sands will now take the lead on the project which will center around the casino.
Sources say Sands will be purchasing the Long Island Marriott next door to the Coliseum site, as part of its overall casino plan.
The resort components of the proposed redevelopment would include “outdoor community spaces, four- and five-star hotel rooms and a world-class live performance venue honoring the long legacy of live music at the Nassau Coliseum,” according to a Sands statement. The plan includes “celebrity chef restaurants, experiential events and venues and flexible meeting and convention space, including ballrooms,” Sands says.
The actual casino is planned to occupy less than 10 percent of the project’s total square footage.
“Our company’s track record of driving significant economic benefits to the communities in which we operate and the meaningful relationships and partnerships we have created in each of those communities gives us a unique perspective on what it takes to develop transformative tourism destinations that positively impact the local community,” Robert Goldstein, Sands chairman and CEO said in the statement. “Based on that experience, we strongly believe Long Island can be home to one of the region’s great entertainment and hospitality developments.”
Goldstein added that the proposed project would produce “tens of millions of dollars” in annual tax revenue along with thousands of union jobs in both construction and operations.
Scott Rechler, RXR CEO and chairman, said that Long Islanders want a global renowned entertainment destination that creates well-paying jobs and new opportunities at the Nassau Hub.
“But the challenge for turning this vision into reality has always been the commercial viability of a site encumbered by a nearly obsolete half-century-old arena,” Rechler said in the statement. “The plan envisioned by Sands is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create the kind of world-renowned entertainment and hospitality destination that has been sought after by Long Islanders.”
RXR had pitched a $1.5 billion mixed-use redevelopment of the 70-acre Coliseum site, but that was put on hold once casino plans heated up. Even if Sands does not get the sought-after casino license, the project will go forward as a hospitality and entertainment complex without gaming.
The state began accepting proposals this month for three full-fledged casinos in the New York metro area, though it’s not yet clear where they will be located. Many observers expect one will likely go to the existing Empire City Casino in Yonkers and another will be sited at Resorts World in Queens. Casino groups have pitched sites like Hudson Yards and Times Square in Manhattan, Coney Island in Brooklyn and Willets Point in Queens, among others.
The current leaseholder of the Coliseum property is Nassau Live, an affiliate of lender US Immigration Fund, which took over the property in August 2020 from the previous leaseholder Onexim Sports & Entertainment. The lender funded $100 million for the renovation of the Coliseum before becoming the property’s leaseholder.
“As a Long Islander, the property and the Coliseum has always been close to my heart. Because of that unwavering belief in the site’s potential, we rolled up our sleeves during an unprecedented challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic, and took over ownership of the Coliseum and saw it through that tough period, which included full closure for more than a year,” Nick Mastroianni II, principal of Nassau Live, said via email. “We’ve worked tirelessly to put in place a long-term game plan that ensures that the property fulfills its enormous economic potential. Through those efforts, it became clear that the Las Vegas Sands is uniquely positioned to achieve that potential, and given the site’s significance to community, I am thrilled that it will be in such good hands.”
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Enzo Biochem to sell clinical lab to Labcorp for $146M
Enzo Biochem, headquartered in Farmingdale, has agreed to sell the assets of its clinical laboratory division to Labcorp, headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina. Enzo is selling the division for $146 million, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The sale follows an initiative by Enzo to advance what the calls its “focused return” to “maximize shareholder value.”
“Completion of the sale will position Enzo to assess and execute on further actions to increase shareholder value and advance our global leadership within the life sciences sector,” Hamid Erfanian, CEO of Enzo Biochem said in a statement.
“We are very grateful to all our colleagues who have made Enzo Clinical Labs a trusted source for patient care,” Erfanian added. “With proven expertise in clinical laboratory services and products, Labcorp is perfectly positioned to bring these operations to new levels of momentum and success.”
“Enzo Clinical Labs is renowned for high-quality testing and expert customer focus, and we look forward to integrating these capabilities through a smooth and seamless transition of services while maintaining a presence on Long Island with testing and service teams,” Bill Haas, senior vice president of Labcorp Diagnostic’s Northeast Division, said in a statement.
“This investment bolsters our commitment to the New York tristate healthcare communities and we are confident that Enzo Clinical Labs patients and providers will have a combined experience that exceeds their laboratory needs,” Hass added.
Enzo Biochem launched a strategy in 2022 to restructure operations to target business areas and industry sectors with major growth opportunities.
The company’s remaining operating segment, Enzo Life Sciences, supplies a complete portfolio of products and services used in drug discovery, development and translational research applications.
Completion of the sale of Enzo Clinical Labs is contingent upon approval by Enzo’s shareholders and other customary closing conditions for transactions of this type.
– ADINA GENN
Town revives plan to rezone LI’s corporate center for live/work redevelopment
A long-dormant effort to transform Melville into an employment-oriented town center has gained new momentum.
First floated nearly a decade ago, the Town of Huntington has held listening sessions in the last few weeks on the Melville Employment Center plan, which is aimed at adding multifamily housing and supporting retail to the area now dominated by office buildings.
In 2015, the town commissioned a study by a team of planning consultants that suggested more mixed-use development is needed so companies could better attract employees who would also live within Melville’s corporate corridor.
Though the plan was primarily posed as a solution to prevent “brain drain,” the idea has new impetus, as rising vacancies in some of the area’s office buildings is presenting new urgency for property owners and town officials.
“My biggest concern is that these office buildings become vacant,” said Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth. “The town has to do everything we can to ensure that these properties are economically viable, whether that’s office space or mixed-use, or all residential. But what we can’t allow to happen is for this area to have derelict buildings.”
Originally, the first iteration of the Melville Employment Center plan targeted under-utilized parking lots of existing office buildings and other adjacent sites for possible redevelopment into rental apartments. But with increasing vacancy rates for many Class B office properties, some Melville landlords say they are ready to replace office buildings with new mixed-use projects.
Tony Fromer, a principal of The We’re Group, which along with partner Angelo, Gordon & Co., own and manage more than 1.3 million square feet of Melville office space, says the MEC plan would be a “very big positive” for the area.
“I believe that the mix of residential where allowable under this new overlay plan would encourage people to stay in the area and give them the opportunity to live and be able to walk or bike to many of their work locations,” Fromer said. “I think that this plan would breathe a lot of life into that area and also provide some retail where right now people do not have an opportunity other than going to the Walt Whitman mall or just driving a decent distance away to get anything.”
Fromer also points out the changes that the office market has gone through over the last three years that were accelerated by the COVID pandemic.
“Everybody is working from home and even if they’re coming in it’s on a three- or four-day basis,” he said. “Every tenant who’s coming up for renewal right now is either reducing their square footage or just not renewing at all or beating up the landlords big time right in terms of rent, so it’s put a lot of inventory back on the market.”
Another Melville property owner, Larry Levine, of the Levine Organization, says he is also onboard with the redevelopment effort. The company got its start in the early 1960s when Levine’s father purchased several acres of Melville land from local farmers, and with partners now owns and manages about 550,000 square feet of office space in four buildings.
Levine said his firm’s 54,000-square-foot office building at 10 Melville Park Road may be a candidate for redevelopment, since it’s likely to become vacant this year as the lease of its sole tenant, Marcum LLP, is expiring.
“You don’t want to wind up with a bunch of empty office buildings which obviously will be worth very little and wind up not paying a lot of taxes and it’s just not good for the town,” Levine told LIBN.
Smyth says he is well aware of the consequences of that scenario, as the town stands to lose millions in taxes if vacancies at Melville office buildings continue to climb and some become completely empty.
“The quality-of-life issue is that vacant buildings attract problems,” the supervisor said. “The economic impact of it is vacant buildings aren’t worth much and the town loses revenue when they get reassessed so there’s the two-fold problem.”
But Levine is optimistic that the MEC plan is a very viable solution, especially in creating more housing opportunities close by.
“There’s an unfulfilled need on Long Island to get affordable housing for young people which would provide employees for office tenants, so it’s self-fulfilling,” Levine said. “There are a lot of companies that don’t want to locate here because they can’t get young professionals while there’s no place for them to live. Long Island wants to retain that young talent in the worst way, and this helps office buildings to get that young talent because we’re providing them a place to start.”
Huntington-based G2D Group, which acquired a 52,000-square-foot office building on 3.8 acres at 560 Broadhollow Road in Nov. 2021, has already pitched a new project for the property that would replace the existing office building with two smaller mixed-use buildings. Company principal Greg DeRosa, whose firm owns about 200,000 square feet of office space in Melville, also supports the redevelopment initiative.
“It’s an opportunity to take some assets that are underutilized and convert them to a more modern-day use,” DeRosa said. “If approved, the MEC provides some flexibility to developers to create more of a live-work-play atmosphere right within Melville which also addresses the housing shortage, one of the primary issues why we’re having a hard time keeping companies on Long Island.”
The initial MEC plan called for the creation of a zoning overlay district in the areas between Walt Whitman Road, Broadhollow Road, Pinelawn Road and Sweet Hollow Road north of Ruland Road. And while it proposed allowing infill development of multifamily housing and “limited small-scale retail and restaurant uses,” planning experts say redevelopment should provide for a more robust town center.
“I definitely think that it needs to be more of a complete community rather than just plopping some housing in the middle of an office park, especially if you know it’s dead after 5 p.m. That’s not a necessarily comfortable place to live,” says Elissa Kyle, director of Placemaking for Vision Long Island. “People who would live there need to go to the grocery store or might want to grab a cup of coffee. If there is just housing without anything else around, all those people are going to have to drive more and cause more traffic.”
Kyle said the redevelopment should be designed to make it walkable and have more of a human scale.
“The plan I saw from 2016 had some of the right ideas, but it was still the big parking lot separating different uses and that’s not exactly the nicest thing to walk past and not really going to encourage anyone to walk rather than drive, she said. “You want to have interesting things to walk past so it’s not just blank facades or crossing 200 feet of parking lot before you get to the next building. You want it to be an interesting place where there are storefronts and different activities going on.”
Though there might not be many live/work/play environments outside of some of Long Island’s downtowns, Kyle said there are several other examples of successful suburban town centers in other states, including Addison Circle outside of Dallas and Legacy Town Center in Plano, Texas, which was redeveloped from an outdated office park.
Don Catalano, broker/owner of iOptimize Realty, who has signed corporate tenants to office space at some of the country’s popular town center developments, says they are the wave of the future and a preferred alternative to traditional suburban office parks.
Catalano brokered a deal for Coca-Cola to lease 115,000 square feet of office space at Sugar Land Town Square, a 1.4 million-square-foot live/work/play development on 32 acres about 20 miles outside of Houston. He said the self-contained suburban development oozed enough charm and amenities that it convinced company officials to relocate and sell its $34 million property in downtown Houston.
One of Coca-Cola’s commercial real estate executives said of the Sugar Land complex: “It’s like Disneyland, but for companies,” Catalano recalled.
“Given the workplace flexibility of the remote revolution, conveniently located commercial spaces are becoming invaluable for companies that prioritize in-person collaboration,” Catalano said. “Think about it: Are employees more likely to commute two hours by public transportation or walk 10 minutes down the street?”
Often, Catalano said, young professionals are drawn to the self-sufficient and cost-effective environment of these new suburban live/work/play developments and end up staying for the community.
“It’s easy to lay down roots and hard to leave,” he said. “As such, they’re a great investment for property owners.”
Mike Florio, the newly minted CEO of the Long Island Builders Institute, said the Melville corridor is a prime candidate for similar mixed-use redevelopment, especially as companies look to shrink their office footprint with more people working remotely.
“The town listening sessions are important for community engagement and to demonstrate how this area can be effectively utilized as a place where people can live, work and play all in one spot,” Florio said.
Huntington Councilman Sal Ferro says the MEC effort can be a game changer for Huntington and for Long Island in general.
“This is a priority for this administration, and we are all united with this being a priority,” Ferro said. “We need to get this done in order to accomplish a lot of things for the future of Huntington. We have our best infrastructure in Melville, with sewers, and roads, and the expressway, and everything else.”
Meanwhile, Smyth says there are still many issues to be considered, especially the need to ensure that the Melville Fire Department and the area’s other first responders can handle the redevelopment that’s expected to add more than 1,000 new apartments and additional businesses.
“We are approaching this with a clean sheet of paper and there is no preconceived notion of what we’re going to do down here or what the zone change is going to be other than something is going to happen,” the supervisor said. “I think it’s something that we have to plan right and methodically and in granular detail before we rush forward.”
Still, Smyth expects to make progress sooner than later.
“I fully anticipate having a fully definitive plan well before the end of the year,” he said.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Stony Brook University to lead NY Climate Exchange
Stony Brook University will anchor the New York Climate Exchange on Governor’s Island.
The news was announced with great fanfare earlier this week from New York City Mayor Eric Adams and The Trust for Governors Island. And there’s big money behind it. Both the Simons Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies have pledged a combined $150 million supporting The Exchange.
That investment shines a spotlight not only on the work required to tackle harmful climate change, but also on the leadership at Stony Brook University, and its partners.
“These gifts not only help fuel our ambitions in building The New York Climate Exchange, they also represent a ringing endorsement of Stony Brook and the transformational work we will be doing on Governors Island,” Maurie McInnis, president of Stony Brook University, said in a letter to the community.
The Exchange is defined as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to collaborate with universities, world leaders, researchers, non-profits, community leaders, entrepreneurs, businesses and students to develop solutions that address climate change. This opportunity is something McInnis began speaking about back in 2021.
Now, she said, “Stony Brook is taking its place as a global convener at the forefront of climate solutions, and the impact on our faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters will be profound,” McInnis said.
The Exchange was announced barely a month after a United Nations panel of scientists released its report on a pressing need to address climate change.
“The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts for thousands of years,” the report said, calling climate change “a threat to human well-being and planetary health.”
Already, according to the U.N., climate change consequences has brought intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and declining biodiversity.
But The Exchange, which is expected to break ground in 2025, seeks to develop and deploy “dynamic solutions to our global climate crisis, while also acting as a hub for New Yorkers to benefit from the rapidly evolving green economy,” according to a Stony Brook University news release.
The center will partner with other institutions, including Pratt Institute, Pace University, New York University, the City University of New York, SUNY Maritime College, Brookhaven National Labs, IBM and others.
Together, they will build a foundation around the partnerships, helping “amplify” existing programs that pertain to the green economy and bringing “broader expertise” resulting, ideally, to new technologies, said Kevin Reed, associate dean for research and associate professor at Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
Their collaboration is to include research that fosters commercially viable ideas that lead to immediate action, both locally and globally.
“Up until now, the development of climate solutions has been siloed, with world leaders separate from expert scientists separate from the on-the-ground green workforce,” McInnis said in a statement when the center was first announced.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, along with MNLA, Buro Happold, and Langan Engineering developed The Exchange’s design. As a model for sustainability, the center will have a net zero center that complements Governors Island’s natural landscape and New York City’s urban landscape. It includes a 400,000-square-foot interactive “living laboratory” with green-designed building space, including research labs, classroom space, exhibits, greenhouses, mitigation technologies and housing facilities.
Officials say The Exchange will include all-electric buildings for the entire campus with on-site solar electrical generation and battery storage meeting 100% of energy demand with net-positive capability to serve the local grid. And 100% of non-potable water demand will be met with rainwater or treated wastewater.
In addition, 95% of waste will be diverted from landfills, making this one of the first sites in the nation to achieve true-zero waste certification. Also featured is a climate-resilient design including new buildings raised to 18 feet, with no basements and living shorelines. All new and renovated buildings will meet “Living Building Challenge” standards and will be the first buildings in the city to achieve this certification.
A research and technology accelerator will serve to source and nurture ideas, projects and new ventures that aim to address climate crisis.
The center will include a citizens’ advisory council, composed of key local stakeholders to ensure that partners’ and neighbors’ voices are heard as it looks to jointly develop and implement new climate solutions, including those that affect low-income communities of color.
At the center, Reed said, there will be opportunities for internships – perhaps a summer semester, or something longer – for students at partner universities across all disciplines. It’s where students studying to be writers, healthcare professionals, engineers, nonprofit leaders and more will learn about the green economy and sustainability, bringing ideas to their peers who might expand on those concepts further.
That philosophy also extends to other fields and industries, where stakeholders will share knowledge across all of their networks, on Long Island and beyond.
Stony Brook University formed international partnerships with academic institutions outside of New York City, as well as with research foundations and social justice organizations to create The Exchange.
The potential for networks of collaboration – locally, nationally and globally – bring prospect for research and promise.
“Brookhaven Lab researchers have played key roles in designing and conducting landmark climate studies from the Arctic to the Amazon for the U.S. Department of Energy,” Brookhaven National Laboratory Interim Director Jack Anderson said in a statement. “We’re excited at the prospect of collaborating with other researchers through the New York Climate Exchange as part of this new, important initiative focused on developing the next generation of climate experts and creating equitable climate solutions.”
And economic opportunities abound, both on Long Island and elsewhere.
“In selecting Stony Brook University to anchor the New York Climate Exchange, New York City recognizes the world-leading research at its School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences focused on the Long Island Sound and other regional bodies of water,” said Matt Cohen, president and CEO of Long Island Association. “We are proud the SUNY flagship institution will be spearheading a nation-leading collaboration that will create green jobs of the future, which will also support Long Island’s growth.”
Yes, enormous challenges are ahead. Yet, Reed said, “This is what a public institution like Stony Brook University is meant to do.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
– ADINA GENN
Proposed condo projects pit neighbor against neighbor as court fights loom
As everyone knows, disputes between neighbors can be brutal. But when tens of millions of dollars in development are at stake, the fight becomes next-level.
That’s what is happening in Huntington right now, as neighboring property owners scrap over their plans to build rival condominium projects.
Earlier this month, the town board approved a plan pitched by Oheka Castle owner Gary Melius to build a 95-unit condo building on a portion of the castle’s 22-acre property.
The approval came over the vehement objections of attorneys for Oheka’s neighbor the Cold Spring Country Club, which is in contract with a developer to sell 13 acres of its 168-acre property for a separate 175-unit condo project, to be built just a chip shot away from the Oheka condo building.
As with any neighbor dust up, this one has a lot of history. Melius had previously offered to buy the club’s 13 acres and add it to about 5 acres of Oheka property so developers could build 190 condos on the combined site.
In fact, the Town of Huntington had approved the 190-unit plan in 2012, but the project, which was first to be developed by Gale International and then later by another development firm, FBE Limited, never materialized.
On the latter plan, Melius claims Manhattan-based FBE, which is now in contract to buy the club’s 13-acre development site, eventually cut him out of the project.
“I spent 10 months with FBE to buy my deal,” Melius told LIBN. “I gave them nine changes to the contract, and I said that’s enough of that. Then they went over to the club and bought their land because they knew I couldn’t do it without their land.”
In response, Melius took FBE and the club to court in 2021 for breach of contract, and though some of the claims in the lawsuit were dismissed, the case remains pending. Meanwhile, Melius sought and received town approval for his own plan to develop a four-story, 95-unit condo building on a portion of Oheka’s property, however, the approval was conditional on the condo development being able to use East Gate Drive and a connecting spur that’s owned by the club, which club officials say they won’t allow.
The road spur that connects with East Gate Drive was actually purchased by the club in 2009, in preparation for the previously contemplated sale of its 13-acre development site to Melius. And attorneys for the club plan to soon file an Article-78 lawsuit challenging the town’s approval of the Oheka project.
“One of the major issues is obviously access to this proposed development over the club’s property, to which Oheka has no legal right,” said attorney Howard Avrutine of Merrick-based law firm Avrutine & Associates, who represents the club. “That is something we believe the town should have made sure was addressed upfront before it rendered any decision.”
Both Melius and his attorney Michael McCarthy argue that the club doesn’t need to grant access to East Gate Drive and the connecting spur because it has been historically used by people coming to Oheka.
“East Gate Drive has been open and used by the general public from the time that Otto Kahn first built the castle, that’s the story on Oheka’s side,” McCarthy said.
But Avrutine counters that Oheka’s use of the road is limited.
“Under a theory of prescriptive easement, you have the rights that you acquired based upon the historic usage. You don’t have rights to do anything you want,” Avrutine said. “Since historically, there’s never been a 95-unit condominium development there, how could it be possible to argue that Oheka has the right of access to it based on historical usage? You can’t. That’s really the centerpiece of the reason why they simply cannot use it.”
In addition, attorney Anthony Guardino of Uniondale-based Farrell Fritz, who represents developer FBE, said in granting Oheka approval for the condo project, the town ignored the expressed restriction in the Historic Overlay District zoning it used to justify the project’s requested density.
“It’s an overlay district and the regulations specifically say you must apply the height, area and bulk requirements of the underlying zone,” Guardino says. “On the 5 acres, it allows one unit per acre and on the remainder, that has a density of two units per acre. The math never adds up to 95.”
On the club property, FBE has proposed to develop a two-building condo complex on about 13 acres of mostly wooded area just west of East Gate Drive and north of Colonial Drive, across from the Cold Spring clubhouse. The 175-unit condo project, which would be developed under the town’s Residential Open Space Cluster zoning, will have an on-site wastewater pump station that would be connected to the nearby Nassau County sewer system. The Oheka project will be building its own sewage treatment plant to serve its condos.
When it comes down to it, both Melius and the club have similar goals, which is to generate revenue to ensure the future success of the castle and the country club. Doug Solow, Cold Spring’s president, says the money from the sale of its development site will allow for much-needed capital improvements for the 260-member club that was incorporated in 1949.
“We’re in this for the long-term preservation of our club, for our membership, for the community, and we have absolutely no ill will at all towards Gary or the castle,” Solow said. “Because it’s in our best interest as well as the community’s to have the castle succeed because our golf course is constructed around it.”
Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth called the town’s approval of the Oheka project “a lifeline” to the historic property. There will be an upfront $2 million payment put into a fund that will go towards maintenance of the castle in addition to 15 percent of each condo owner’s annual dues.
For Melius, the condo project could help Oheka climb out of its deep financial hole. The property is once again facing foreclosure, after a summary judgment ruling for Oheka’s lender last month by Judge Elizabeth H. Emerson in Suffolk County Supreme Court.
More than a decade ago, Melius defaulted on a $28 million commercial mortgage-backed securities loan, the debt of which has since ballooned to about $40 million with interest and advances, according to attorney David Rosenberg of Garden City-based Rosenberg Fortuna & Laitman, who is the court-appointed referee in the case. In the coming weeks, Rosenberg will schedule a hearing to determine the amount actually due to the lender U.S. Bank National Association, which will pave the way for the court to issue a judgment of foreclosure and direct a sale of the Oheka property.
However, the original lender may not be the entity that ultimately takes over the property. After a sale of the Oheka note found no takers last October, the loan is once again up for sale next week, and this time, it becomes a little more attractive because of the property’s valuable condo project approval. Melius says he will bid on the note in an attempt to buy it at a discount, but if that doesn’t work, he still doesn’t plan on surrendering Oheka to foreclosure anytime soon.
“I held them up for seven years. Now they got a victory in court, but I’ve made a motion to re-argue so that’s going to take a while,” Melius said. “Then, my next move is, I will go through Chapter 11, and they’ll take three or four more years to get it, if they ever got it.”
Originally built for financier Otto Kahn in 1921, the 126-room Oheka is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Cold Spring golf course and the property surrounding it that was used to develop about 300 single-family homes and the Otto Keil nursery behind the country club were all part of the original Kahn estate.
Once used as a retirement home for the town’s municipal employees and later as the home of the Eastern Military Academy, the castle was abandoned and crumbling when Melius took ownership in 1984. Over the years, Melius claims he has spent $46 million on renovations and improvements to the Oheka property.
In addition to ongoing financial woes, Melius survived an attempt on his life in Feb. 2014, when he was shot in the face by a still-unknown assailant. Now 78, the ever-feisty castle owner says he feels terrific, despite this latest development tug-of-war.
“I got over getting shot in the f—ing head,” he said. “You think these guys are going to bother me?”
Melius touted the support of the community and the town board in gaining approval for his project and predicted the neighboring proposed development would face an uphill battle.
“You think they have a chance when the whole community is against them? Never,” Melius said, “especially with the political power I have.”
Meanwhile, observers wondered if a comment by Supervisor Smyth following the vote to approve the Oheka plan might signal prejudice against the club’s pending proposal.
“I would congratulate Cold Spring Country Club for now having the most valuable piece of unbuildable land on Long Island and the lawyers will understand that,” Smyth said.
Oheka attorney McCarthy said that the best situation would be for the two parties to get together and build the original project.
“But there’s a lot of sniping going on and a lot of lawyering going on and it doesn’t help the community and it doesn’t help anybody except these warring factions,” he said. “The country club has a very nice piece of property, they’ve got very good lawyers, I’m sure that they can create a very successful development project.”
While the club’s condo proposal preserves the golf course, club officials say its existing zoning could also allow the development of nearly 300 single-family homes if the entire golf course was sold. But Solow said that’s not being contemplated at this time.
Instead, Solow says the club would like to see everybody succeed.
“If everybody is successful, everybody is happy,” he said.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
New college grads find a welcoming job market on Long Island
Hiring may have slowed, but many college graduates on Long Island are finding a welcoming job market, experts say.
“The job market has been incredibly active – it’s still very strong,” said Cliff Weinstien, senior vice president-director of Permanent Placement Services at Robert Half Recruiters & Employment Agency, which, on Long Island, has offices in Uniondale and Hauppauge. “The rebound of the post-COVID shutdown is still very much apparent.”
Projections show that employers across the country plan to hire 3.9% more graduates this year than in 2022, according to the most recent findings from National Association of Colleges and Employers.
There are 9.6 million job openings, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, making now “a great time to launch a career,” Weinstein said.
For entry-level positions on Long Island, there is demand in accounting and finance, manufacturing, healthcare and technology, experts say.
For Hofstra University graduates, the “strongest hiring sectors remain healthcare and technology, even in the face of large tech companies having to lay off employees.” That’s according to a news release from the university’s Center for Career Design and Development.
For example, online shopping became more popular during COVID, increasing the need for online sales and related roles, including online personal shoppers, according to the center’s executive director Michelle Kyriakides and director of external relations Darlene London Johnson.
An increasing number of companies are defying the national trend of layoffs and are actively recruiting locally, Kyriakides said. Those companies include Port Washington-based Modorama Media, an internet-marketing agency, and Milwakee-based Techtronic Industries, which designs, manufactures and markets power tools and accessories. Both firms participate in Hofstra’s “Employers in the Classroom” program, career fairs, and other events, and have hired Hofstra students both for internships and full-time roles locally.
Hiring managers seeking qualified entry-level employees should consider that candidates are less apt to have the relevant technical skills yet, Weinstein said. Instead, managers are often served well by focusing on candidates with good communication skills, and who are both self-motivated and good problem-solvers.
When interviewing, consider “how passionate is the person?” Weinstein said. Gauge whether the person is “hitting the ground running, wanting to succeed in this world.”
Right now, college graduates are finding employment.
Already, graduates of Adelphi University’s Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, for example, are starting new jobs. These graduates include a marketing associate at Haugland Group in Melville; revenue and finance hires at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park; tax assurance hires at Ernst and Young in Jericho, a tax consultant at Baker Tilly in Melville; a senior account executive at Spark 451 in Westbury; and a human resources coordinator at Compass Workforce Solutions in Hauppauge.
Over at Stony Brook University, graduates have scored jobs with a number of employers, running across the gamut from healthcare to nonprofit and other sectors, according to David Mora, assistant director of the university’s career center. These employers include Altice USA, BDO, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Canon USA, EAC Network, Enzo Life Sciences, Family Service League, Henry Schein, KPMG, National Grid, New York Edge, Newsday, North Atlantic Industries, Northwell Health, NY Cancer & Blood Specialists, Options for Community Living, PSEG Long Island, PwC, Stony Brook Hospital, Suffolk County Executive’s Office, YAI and Zebra Technologies.
And at Molloy University, graduates from its School of Business will be working at such employers as KPMG, Ernst and Young and Catholic Health. Graduates from the School of Arts and Sciences are getting jobs in radio and television, research organizations, non-profits and government. Graduates from School of Education and Human Services will be working at school districts, clinics, hospitals and other agencies. And graduates of its School of Nursing and Health Sciences will be working in health systems across the region.
Farmingdale State College reports that its graduates have found employment at Northwell Health, The Home Depot, Catholic Health, CVS Pharmacy, CVS Health, NYU Langone Health, H2M architects + engineers, Bethpage Federal Credit Union and Farmingdale State College.
“St. Joseph’s University, New York has seen an influx of job opportunities … with accounting, finance, healthcare and technology, leading the way,” Robert Earl, the university’s director of career preparation and professional development, told LIBN.
This year’s St. Joseph’s graduates “have accepted positions in many fields and at employers including, Optum, Stony Brook University Hospital, Northwell Health, the Veteran’s Health Administration, Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism, Eastern Suffolk BOCES and The LandTek Group,” he said.
“The university actively partners with local employers across diverse sectors,” he added. “This cooperation takes various forms and these initiatives provide our students with practical experience and networking opportunities. Our alumni network is another crucial support system for our students. With St. Joseph’s graduates working across various sectors and geographical locations, our students have a wealth of knowledge and experience to tap into.”
Support from school career centers can go a long way toward forging a career path and making the right connections.
“The Stony Brook University Career Center provided multiple industry-focused in-person job and internship fairs with over 400 companies, with nearly half of these operating on Long Island,” Mora said.
“The return to in-person fairs and events greatly improved the access to and quality of engagement with these local companies,” he added. “These face-to-face networking opportunities have been especially helpful for those fields which are experiencing increased hiring needs.”
Yet for some students, when it comes to finding the right job, broadening their search outside of New York is a worthwhile endeavor.
At Hofstra, for example, one student is moving in June to Indiana for a position as a forensic scientist for the state toxicology lab. Another is moving to California to work in medical physics.
Many of the larger employers are requiring that their employees return to the workplace, either full-time or hybrid, according to Hofstra’s career center. Still, remote work remains popular, including with new college graduates, Johnson said. Although postings for remote or hybrid jobs have decreased, the number of people working remotely has increased. That could be because companies that offer remote and hybrid schedules are seeing reduced job turnover.
While positions are still hybrid, “very often, the first interview takes place via Teams or Zoom,” Weinstein said. Candidates still seeking jobs should be sure to have a great internet connection and a neutral background, Weinstein said.
“Interview as if you’re going in person,” he said. Make sure there’s “nothing encumbering the ability to give a positive first impression.” That includes conducting due diligence about the employer in order to demonstrate “potential – you show that by being engaged.”
Entry-level employees value access to colleagues and supervisors, even while virtual, Johnson said. They want to be trained and mentored, and employers should establish plans to provide that support in a virtual environment. Still, because remote work is not for everyone, college grads should be “self-aware enough” to understand whether they would thrive in a virtual environment.
Meanwhile, hirng remains competitive.
Right now, Weinstein said, hiring managers who wait too long to extend an offer may find that the ideal candidate they met with earlier may have already accepted another offer. That scenario is not uncommon at a time when employers may feel compelled to see a certain number of interviewees before making a hiring decision.
While there is a “shortage of candidates available of all different levels, don’t hesitate” to hire “if the candidate interviewing has the right skills,” Weinstein said. A lot of new graduates, “especially in accounting and finance, are getting scooped up in seconds.”
– ADINA GENN
Whole Foods to anchor SunVet reboot, as BDG partners with Regency
Blumenfeld Development Group has formed a joint venture with Regency Centers to redevelop the SunVet Mall in Holbrook.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The partnership has signed a Whole Foods Market to serve as the anchor of the property, which is being converted to a 168,000-square-foot open-air shopping center.
The plans include adding two junior anchor tenants and 53,000-square-feet of shops and six outparcels, including a new location for the currently operating Citibank, according to a joint statement.
Last year, Syosset-based BDG signed a 99-year ground lease for the 18-acre retail complex at 5801 Sunrise Highway with plans to redevelop the distressed property.
Built about half a century ago, the Sun Vet Mall has fallen on hard times in recent years. Formerly anchored by a 60,000-square-foot Pathmark supermarket and a 100,000-square-foot Toys-R-Us, the two big-box stores that flank the mall have been vacant for a while. The 110,000-square-foot now vacant interior portion of the mall was once home to 30 retail tenants.
The Holbrook property becomes Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency’s 11th retail center in the Long Island market, following its $130 million acquisition of four shopping centers from Serota Properties at the end of 2021 and its $30 million purchase of East Meadow Plaza last fall.
“When the Blumenfeld Development Group shared their vision of bringing SunVet back to life as a modern community shopping center, we knew we wanted to be involved,” Rebecca Wing, vice president of investments for Regency Centers, said in the statement. “Regency is committed to delivering on that vision and creating a best-in-class shopping destination that will resonate with the community for many years to come. We can’t wait to share more about our retailer lineup as construction begins later this year.”
Regency Centers will hold the majority interest in its joint venture with BDG and will oversee leasing and operations for the Holbrook complex.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Hofstra sues Nassau Planning Commission over a meeting to build $4B casino
Hofstra University is suing the Nassau County Planning Commission over alleged violations in regards to the proposed $4 billion casino at the Nassau Hub in Uniondale.
Hofstra said in a news release Tuesday that the Planning Commission had “failed to properly notice and conduct its meetings for consideration of the transfer of the lease for the Nassau Hub and surrounding public property from its current leaseholder to Las Vegas Sands for the development of a casino.”
As LIBN reported earlier this year, Sands is lobbying to score one of the three downstate casino licenses, and would partner with RXR on the planned project, as RXR remains the master developer of the Coliseum site. But Sands would take the lead on the project which will center around the casino.
Hofstra says that the Planning Commission violated New York’s Open Meeting Law and did not notify the public in advance about a March 3 meeting related to Sands or the transfer of the property for the casino’s development, and that no terms were disclosed about the proposed lease.
“We are asking that the Planning Commission commit to a fair and transparent process,” Hofstra University spokeswoman Terry Coniglio said in a statement. “To this point, the Planning Commission’s hearing did not comply with the law, and we have been forced to ask the court to ensure that the public receives the information it deserves and a fair opportunity to be heard on this important matter.”
“Hofstra University would be better off spending their students’ tuition on education rather than frivolous lawsuits,” Nassau County Spokesperson Christopher Boyle said in a statement, when asked for comment about the lawsuit that was filed by Hofstra.
Sands had no comment about the lawsuit.
As LIBN reported earlier, Hofstra is opposed to a proposed casino in close proximity to its campus. Yet the proposal has support from Long Island University and Nassau Community College, which aim to partner to launch a hospitality management program with Sands.
Blakeman has said the casino would need “the support of the community, in order to move forward,” according to published reports.
The leaseholder of the Coliseum property has been Nassau Live, an affiliate of lender US Immigration Fund, which took over the property in August 2020 from the previous leaseholder Onexim Sports & Entertainment. The lender funded $100 million for the renovation of the Coliseum before becoming the property’s leaseholder.
– ADINA GENN
Long-awaited Belmont Park reboot heads for the starting gate
After many years of starts and stops, the long-awaited reimagining of the horse racing portion of Belmont Park is finally off and running.
Funded with a $455 million loan that was approved last month with New York State’s fiscal year 2024 budget, the New York Racing Association is now embarking on one of the largest racetrack redevelopment projects of the modern era.
NYRA has retained the global design and planning firm Populous to help guide the project. The firm, which designed the UBS Arena on the Belmont Park property, is engaged in the ongoing renovations at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. and is also working on the new Buffalo Bills stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., among its many other sporting and entertainment projects.
One of the main objectives of the Elmont facility’s redevelopment is to right-size its massive and underutilized grandstand and clubhouse. First opened in 1905, Belmont Park was rebuilt in the 1960s and its current 1.25 million-square-foot grandstand, the largest in all of thoroughbred racing, opened in May 1968.
The project will demolish the aging structure and replace it with a building that’s less than a quarter of its size, around 275,000 square feet. That will also free up some parkland and allow for expansion of Belmont’s backyard, which had been truncated by the construction of the UBS Arena.
“When Belmont was built, there weren’t any casinos or any other forms of wagering, lottery, or anything, so for people who wanted to gamble, this was really the only form. You could get crowds of 25,000 or 35,000 on a regular basis,” says Michael Dubb, NYRA board member and chairman of its new development committee, which is overseeing the project. “Now people still wager, but except for big days like the Belmont Stakes, the need for a facility that size is not there because people wager remotely, through live streaming or on TV, so the need really changed.”
Though this year’s Belmont Stakes drew a little more than 48,000 fans, the Belmont Park opening day attendance on May 4 was just over 2,100. The historic venue’s redevelopment project is aimed at attracting thousands more.
“Modernizing Belmont Park will create the world-class sports and entertainment destination New Yorkers deserve, while creating thousands of jobs, generating billions in economic impact, and ensuring the sport of horse racing continues to create jobs and support communities on Long Island and throughout the state,” said NYRA CEO David O’Rourke. “That’s exactly why this transformational project enjoys broad support among New Yorkers, elected officials, organized labor and the statewide business community.”
Besides building a smaller, more modern clubhouse and grandstand that will be filled with multiple bars, lounges and dining options, there will be other improvements with the redevelopment. A tunnel will eventually be used to connect fans from the parking lot to Belmont’s 45-acre infield, similar to Churchill Downs, which employs its tunnel for fans to get to the track’s infield on special days like the Kentucky Derby. NYRA will also pursue opportunities to use the infield for community events.
In addition, NYRA will add a fourth track to join Belmont Park’s dirt track and two turf tracks. The new track will have a synthetic surface, which Dubb says is similar in feel to grass for the horses but is a much safer surface that should cut down on racing injuries.
“We will be perhaps the leader in the world in terms of racing facilities with four different surfaces,” said Dubb, who is also principal of the Beechwood Organization, one of Long Island’s most prolific housing developers. “All that will do is attract the best horses in the country and the world to come to big events.”
The new Belmont building will be winterized to accommodate year-round racing, allowing winter racing and training activities to be moved from Aqueduct. This will also pave the way for the state to develop the 110-acre Aqueduct property in South Ozone Park, which was recently appraised at $1 billion.
NYRA says the Belmont improvements will generate $155 million in annual economic output, support 740 new full-time jobs, and produce $10 million in new state and local tax revenue per year. Part of that will come from bringing major events like the Breeders Cup World Championships, which hasn’t stopped at Belmont since 2005, but has already committed to return after the redevelopment is completed.
Dubb pointed to a study that found that there are about 20,000 jobs created around the state in relation to horse racing, including dozens of horse farms and breeding farms.
“Horse racing is a powerful engine for the New York economy that supports families and communities in every corner of the state,” O’Rourke said. “NYRA racetracks employ union electricians and carpenters, trainers and grooms, security guards, maintenance staff, and many others working every day to care for horses and keep these facilities running.”
A new wrinkle for the Belmont Park plan is a lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other groups last week. The suit, filed in State Supreme Court in Albany, contends that the state loan which will finance the project is illegal because it benefits a “private corporation or association,” in violation of the state constitution.
However, NYRA spokesman Patrick McKenna said that previous court decisions have affirmed that the nonprofit racing association is a “state actor” that’s ultimately ruled by the state.
“Organizations like PETA are philosophically opposed to horse racing and make no secret of their desire to end the sport,” McKenna said in an emailed response. “New Yorkers reject PETA’s extreme agenda by attending, watching, and wagering on horse racing in record numbers. As we look forward to the modernization of Belmont Park, and the opening of the summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course on July 13, this ridiculous lawsuit is a meritless attack on a sport that supports New York families in every corner of the state.”
Aside from horse racing’s critics, the state loan that will finance the Belmont project and the planned redevelopment have been lauded by Long Island business and labor leaders.
“Belmont Park is an historic and economically significant asset for Long Island that has not been substantially updated since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon,” said Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association. “This new investment will bring Belmont into the 21st century, unlocking its full potential as a world-class sports and entertainment destination.”
Julie Marchesella, president of the Elmont Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, said that NYRA has been a “very good member” of the Elmont community, and she looks forward to a modernized Belmont.
“As far as economic development on Long Island, it kind of rounds out the entertainment venues that will be going on Long Island,” Marchesella said. “It’s adjacent to the UBS Arena, but if we get a casino and hotel, that will bring even more people to the Island. And of course, downstate racing really needed more of a highlight.”
Matthew Aracich, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council for Nassau and Suffolk Counties, said the Belmont project will create some 3,000 construction jobs.
“This particular project is covered under the terms of a project labor agreement, which will be negotiated very shortly,” Aracich told LIBN. “This is a quick infusion of development into Nassau County and to the state. It’s all going to be local hire all through the building trades, so the money stays local, including taxes.”
Along with the improvements for fans, NYRA will continue its efforts to modernize backstretch housing for its workers and barn area facilities throughout the property.
Improving conditions for track employees has been a priority for Dubb, a true champion of the state’s horse racing industry, who owns dozens of thoroughbreds which are among the 2,000 or so racehorses stabled year-round at Belmont Park.
Some 23 years ago, Dubb donated and built a daycare center for the children of backstretch workers called Anna House. Dubb has been focused on providing better housing for Belmont’s employees and his efforts have led to the development of two new dormitories, with construction on a third new dormitory slated to begin later this year.
Recent construction activity on the Belmont Park property, which resulted in the development of the UBS Arena, home to the New York Islanders, has continued on the south side of Hempstead Turnpike. That’s where Islanders co-owner Scott Malkin’s firm is building a 340,000-square-foot retail complex called Belmont Park Village. The development, which will house some 170 shops, is expected to be completed next year.
Meanwhile, accommodation will be made while the Belmont Park horse racing venue undergoes its transformation.
“We will move racing to Aqueduct during construction. We also anticipate the possibility of running the Belmont Stakes at Belmont next year, however after that we might have to run the 2025 Belmont Stakes and possibly the 2026 Belmont Stakes at Saratoga,” Dubb said. “We haven’t finalized any plans yet.”
Yet, once just a dream, a new Belmont Park now looms on the horizon.
“We hope to come to a final conceptual agreement of design by the end of the year and start issuing requests for proposals for construction early next year and hope to start construction by the end of 2024,” Dubb said.
That would put completion of the project on track for the first half of 2026.
“At the end of the day, I think it will be a facility really second to none in the world,” said Dubb. “The big beneficiary of that will be Long Island.”
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Northwell launches $500M expansion of pediatric mental health services
Northwell Health has announced it is launching a $500 million plan to expand pediatric mental health services for children and teens.
The initiative comes at a time when the need for mental health services for children and teens is increasing “at alarming rates,” according to Northwell.
“For far too long, mental health care has been fraught with stigma and disparities in access, and we are determined to create a new model of care so that every child’s mental wellbeing receives the same care as their physical health,” Dr. Charles Schleien, senior vice president of pediatric services at Northwell, said in a written statement
Nearly one in five children is diagnosed with a behavioral, emotional or mental health disorder in the United States, but only 20 percent of those diagnosed receive specialized treatment, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among children aged 10 to 14 and the third-leading cause among those aged 15 to 24.
Over the next five years, Northwell Health said it will invest $350 million toward capital, programs, services and operating costs. It will also launch a $150 million fundraising campaign to expand pediatric behavioral health services across its footprint. With this initiative, Northwell aims to provide a new model of care at a new 200,000-square-foot center, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Pavilion.
This center will be connected to Cohen Children’s Medical Center and Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell’s adult mental health facility in Queens. It will be designed to fully integrate physical and mental healthcare for children and serve as a destination program for patients across the country. It will also include more than 100 inpatient beds designed for children and adolescents, and serve as a home to specialty ambulatory clinics treating a variety of disorders.
The initiative aims to bring together Northwell’s practices in children’s clinical care, mental health, research, education and medical training to set a new standard for care.
“We treat life-threatening injuries, develop innovative cancer therapies and perform organ transplants, which transform the lives of our patients and their families,” Michael Dowling, Northwell president and CEO, said in a written statement. “But we know mental health is health. Our mission to treat patients fully also includes the mental wellbeing of our young patients.”
Schleien said that the health system is “enhancing our holistic approach and strengthening our continuum of care so that children in need will have access to the very best evidence-based treatments. This investment will break the archaic siloed approach in which physical health is addressed at one facility and mental health at another by fully integrating physical and mental health care for children.”
Through Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Northwell currently operates pediatric behavioral health urgent care centers in Nassau and Suffolk counties. The centers are working directly with Long Island school districts and parents to deliver short-term treatment to young patients while connecting them with long-term assistance when it is needed. Northwell’s school-based programs reach 200,000 students in more than 330 Long Island schools and have reduced emergency room visits for mental health issues by 61 percent.
“Treating mental illness early can save a child’s life,” Dr. John Young, senior vice president of behavioral health at Northwell, said in a written statement. “We must transform care models and fully integrate with pediatric services to care more effectively for children and adolescents facing a behavioral health crisis.”
The new initiative was announced at CitiField, where the health system celebrated Cohen Children’s Medical Center 40th birthday party, which raised $4 million for pediatric mental health services, including a $1 million gift from principal event sponsor the Blumenfeld family.
– ADINA GENN
Global investment firm buys Oheka debt in takeover bid
A major global investment firm is the newest player in Oheka Castle’s long-running foreclosure saga.
An affiliate of Taconic Capital Advisors purchased the property’s debt at an auction in May and closed on the deal at the end of last month. The price was not disclosed, but sources say it was bought at a significant discount from the current loan total of about $50 million.
An executive of the brokerage firm that handled the sale of the Oheka debt said Taconic Capital, which has offices in Manhattan and London, beat out about a dozen bidders from all over the country in purchasing the loan.
“There was certainly a lot of competition,” said David Tobin, senior managing director for Mission Capital Advisors, a subsidiary of Marcus & Millichap, which specializes in loan sales. “It’s a great asset, it’s iconic. I think the catering business has rebounded and it’s making money.”
In fact, in the six months from Dec. 2022 through May 2023, Oheka’s revenue totaled more than $5.42 million, according to court filings in the foreclosure case against Kahn Property Owner and its principal Gary Melius.
The foreclosure action was initiated in June 2016 by lender U.S. Bank National Association, after Melius defaulted on a $28 million commercial mortgage-backed securities loan for the 22-acre Huntington property. The original complaint charged that the borrower stopped making payments on the debt in the fall of 2015 and hasn’t made any payments since, according to subsequent court filings.
As the foreclosure case dragged on, the frustrated lender and its special loan servicing firm put the debt on the market. A previous auction in Oct. 2022, where the Oheka debt had a minimum bid of $9 million, found no takers, but the May auction has resulted in Taconic Capital owning the debt and it is now assuming the position of Oheka’s former lender in foreclosure proceedings that were reheated, after a Feb. 2023 summary judgment ruling for the lender by Judge Elizabeth H. Emerson in Suffolk County Supreme Court.
Executives at Taconic Capital did not respond to requests for comment on its plans for the Oheka property, however real estate sources say the firm, which specializes in distressed-debt acquisitions, will likely find a buyer in the hospitality industry to take it over once the foreclosure is completed.
This isn’t the first time Taconic Capital has purchased distressed debt in an effort to takeover property on Long Island. The firm is part of a group led by Axonic Capital that paid a reported $28 million to acquire the $165.6 million CMBS loan for the 76-acre office campus at One CA Plaza in Islandia, which includes three main office buildings totaling more than 800,000 square feet. The group now owns the property that was once the headquarters of Computer Associates.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Simons Foundation makes $500M gift to Stony Brook University
The Simons Foundation announced a $500 million endowment gift to Stony Brook University.
The foundation, which aims to advance research in mathematics and the basic sciences, announced the gift from its Manhattan headquarters.
This combined gift from the Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International, is expected to grow by up to $1 billion in contributions for the university’s endowment through “New York State’s 1:2 endowment matching program and other philanthropy inspired by this gift,” according to a news release about the donation.
The gift is intended to “cement” Stony Brook as the state’s “flagship research institution,” and the university’s “commitment to educational excellence, research innovation and community support,” according to the news release.
Impacts from investments that stem from the gift include student scholarships, endowed professorships innovative research and clinical care, according to the university.
“The Simons Foundation mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences,” Foundation President David Spergel said in a statement.
“For more than a decade, we have been proud to give to an institution that is at the forefront of educational excellence in the sciences,” Spergel added. “It is our sincere hope that this large unrestricted gift will build upon our previous support to Stony Brook, giving students and faculty the ability to dream big and engage in transformative research.”
“A world-class, public education has the ability to transform the lives of New Yorkers, which is why in this year’s budget we created the first-ever matching fund for endowment contributions for SUNY’s university centers,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “Time and again, Stony Brook University forges a bold path forward, from innovation happening at Brookhaven Lab to the economic development throughout Long Island. With this remarkable contribution from the Simons Foundation, Stony Brook will continue to excel as an internationally recognized research institution and give students the tools they need to succeed.”
“We are eternally grateful to Jim and Marilyn Simons and Simons Foundation President David Spergel for their unparalleled support of Stony Brook University,” University President Maurie McInnis said in a statement.
“In 1960, we were given a mandate by the State Board of Regents to become a university that would ‘stand with the finest in the country,’” she added. “Thanks in large part to the generosity of the Simons Foundation, we have done just that, and we have no intention of slowing down. We take seriously our commitment to our students, our faculty and our broader community to advance knowledge and contribute to the most significant challenges facing our society. We are so proud of all that we have accomplished as an institution and our best days are ahead of us.”
“I joined Stony Brook University in 1968 as chair of their Department of Mathematics,” Simons Foundation Co-Founder Jim Simons said in a statement. “I knew then it was a top intellectual center with a serious commitment to research and innovation. But Stony Brook also gave me a chance to lead — and so it has been deeply rewarding to watch the university grow and flourish even more. Marilyn and I are proud to support this outstanding public university that has given us so much.”
“As a Stony Brook graduate, I know firsthand the role that a quality education plays in the trajectory of one’s life,” Simons Foundation Co-Founder Marilyn Simons, ’74, PhD ’84, said in a statement.
“I am proud of the education I received there,” she added. “Jim and I want to ensure that Stony Brook continues to serve its students with the highest level of educational excellence and with world-class resources. The foundation’s gift will also help give those from underserved communities the opportunity to reach their full potential. We look forward to seeing this institution continue to thrive.”
Since Jim and Marilyn Simons made their first gift of $750 in 1983, they and the Simons Foundation have committed more than $1.2 billion to Stony Brook, while also inspiring over 2,100 other donors to give to the university. Their support has led to growth impacting every corner of the Stony Brook campus and beyond, from the Renaissance School of Medicine and the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics to Stony Brook’s Simons STEM Scholars program, nine endowed chairs and professorships in economics, and more.
last month, following Stony Brook’s successful bid to serve as the anchor institution of The New York Climate Exchange, the Simons Foundation committed $100 million to the project’s expected $700 million budget. These funds will help establish this climate research, education and green-economy training hub, set to transform how the world responds to the climate crisis and pioneer investigation into environmental, community and health outcomes and impacts.
– ADINA GENN
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is coming to Long Island
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, a fast-growing chain of discount merchandise, will soon open its first store on Long Island.
The company leased 32,000 square feet in the Selden Plaza shopping center at 211 Middle Country Road in Selden. The space was formerly occupied by T.J. Maxx.
The new Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in Selden is expected to open by the end of the year.
Ollie’s offers a wide variety of items, including housewares, sporting goods, flooring, food and much more. The off-price inventory in its stores comes from closeouts, overstocked merchandise, refurbished goods and irregular products and everything sold at Ollie’s comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The beginnings of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet dates back to July 1982 when its founders Mark Butler, Mort Bernstein, Oliver “Ollie” Rosenberg and Harry Coverman, opened the first store in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The chain grew throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding areas and opened its 100th store located in Barboursville, West Virginia in May 2011.
Ollie’s became a public company in 2015 and today is the country’s largest retailer of closeout merchandise with 495 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., Ollie’s reported revenue of $515.8 million in 2021.
Bobby Traynham of Rhino Commercial Realty represented the tenant, while Greg Batista of RIPCO Real Estate represented the landlord, Miller Realty Associates, in the Selden lease transaction.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
At Nassau Community College, a new $31M STEM center
Garden City-based Nassau Community College has opened a $31 million, 61,000-square-foot STEM (science technology engineering math) center. The building, which was constructed in the 1970s, has been remodeled as a high-tech academic center to equip students as they prepare for STEM careers in both hybrid and virtual workplaces.
At a ribbon cutting on Thursday, students, faculty board of trustee members and guests celebrated the new three-story center.
“At Nassau, we pride ourselves on making education and technology more accessible to all students,” Maria Conzatti, chief administrative officer of Nassau Community College, said in a written statement. “Modern facilities thoughtfully designed to support hands-on learning and innovation will foster our ability to shape the Long Island workforce.”
The building, known as Cluster C, contains STEM laboratories, climate-friendly green roofs and solar panels as well as general learning spaces. It is designed to accommodate more than 2,200 students a day. Nearly 90% of Nassau students are expected to take at least one course in the center before graduating.
Designed by NV5 architects and constructed by Jacobs and VRD Contracting, the building features 10 classrooms, 12 laboratories, faculty offices and a planetarium.
The building features outdoor classrooms, which include an observatory with telescopes, as part of the college’s astronomy program. There are green roofs, solar panels and a mini wind turbine for environmental and climate studies. The building features small seminar rooms to encourage interaction between students and faculty and foster group projects.
Funding for the project was provided by Nassau County with 50% matching funds from New York State.
“The county is honored to have played a pivotal role by providing the necessary funding to bring this cutting-edge facility to fruition,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said in a statement. “This investment in the next generation of leaders is a testament to the collaborative spirit between local government and academia.”
The building is designed to prepare students as they aim to address current and future challenges.
“As a physician, the importance of a STEM education is something in which I place great value,” Dr. Jorgé L. Gardyn, chairman of the Nassau Community College board of trustees, said in a statement.
“Many of the most pressing global challenges, such as public health crises, climate change, and energy sustainability, require solutions rooted in STEM disciplines,” he added. “This state-of-the-art facility will provide our college students with invaluable hands-on experience.”
The building has been selected as a model for future renovations of similar style structures at the campus.
– ADINA GENN
National accounting firm acquires Long Island firm
Janover, an accounting and advisory firm with offices in Garden City and New York City, has been acquired by Armanino LLP, giving the national firm its first offices on Long Island.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Janover and its staff of about 200 will continue to operate out of its existing offices at 100 Quentin Roosevelt Blvd. in Garden City and 485 Madison Ave. in Manhattan, but the firm will now be rebranded under the Armanino umbrella.
This is the fourth such deal for Armanino in 2023 and the second in New York since 2021, as part of the firm’s strategy to identify top talent in key markets, according to a company statement. The addition of Janover enables Armanino to further deliver its services, including AI Lab, digital transformation solutions, and tech-enabled tax and accounting capabilities to the New York metropolitan area.
“As soon as I met the Janover leadership team, I knew that they’d be a great fit for Armanino and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome them to the team,” Matt Armanino, CEO of Armanino, said in the statement. “Their highly strategic approach, deep expertise, and shared values resonate greatly with our organization, and I look forward to seeing the success they deliver for our clients under the Armanino name moving forward.”
Janover has provided audit, accounting and tax services along with strategic advisory and consulting support to businesses for more than 80 years. Its clients come from a range of industries, including real estate, professional services, commercial business, construction, cannabis, manufacturing and financial services. The firm has earned awards and accolades from a variety of business media outlets, including Accounting Today, Forbes, Long Island Business News and Crain’s New York Business.
Armanino has secured the Diamond Award from ClearlyRated for outstanding client satisfaction for eight consecutive years. This year, the firm marked its 20th recognition by INSIDE Public Accounting’s Best of the Best for exemplary financial and operational standards. Accounting Today ranked Armanino number 18 on its 2023 Top 100 list.
“Armanino is one of the best firms in the country, respected as a leading innovator in the profession and possesses a winning attitude that we believe makes them the right strategic partner for long-term success,” Mark Goodman, managing partner at Janover, said in the statement. “Our industry has been revolutionized over the past few years thanks to technology and a changing workforce dynamic. Armanino has stayed ahead of the curve, and we believe that Janover and our clients will truly benefit from more power and depth as we join forces.”
– DAVID WINZELBERG
On Long Island, philanthropists help fuel healthcare forward
Kenneth and Elaine Langone’s recent $200 million gift to NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine drew its share of fanfare.
The gift extends the school’s guarantee of full-tuition scholarships to every student, regardless of need, in perpetuity.
“By providing our future doctors with an affordable education, we are investing in a brighter and healthier future for all, particularly here on Long Island, where Elaine and I grew up,” Kenneth Langone, co-founder of Home Depot and chair of NYU Langone Board of Trustees, said at the time.
Philanthropy plays an important role in healthcare. It comes at a time when donors seek to “take a leading role in helping to solve the biggest issues of our time,” according to a 2023 report from UBS that featured insights of 100 of its philanthropy experts.
Across Long Island, philanthropists are contributing to causes they are passionate about, especially healthcare. Their contributions fund new buildings, research and innovations. They also fund endowments, address inequities and like the Langones’ generous gift, pay for medical education.
“This extraordinary gift from Ken and Elaine ensures that … students for generations to come can follow their passion for medicine, regardless of their background and financial status,” Dr. Robert Grossman, CEO of NYU Langone Health and dean of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in Manhattan, said last week.
While philanthropists with deep pockets help fuel healthcare forward, donors needn’t be at the top of the “wealth spectrum” to have impact, according to UBS.
Consider Northwell’s current “Outpacing the Impossible” $1.4 billion fundraising campaign. It aims to fund programs, accelerate research, improve outcomes, expand access to care for the underserved and more. Launched in 2018, the campaign generated more than 185,000 donors in its communities, raising $1.14 billion toward its goal.
Healthcare “is not a high-margin business,” Brian Lally, senior vice president and chief development officer of Northwell Health, told LIBN. “Everything we make, we push back into the organization.”
Earlier in July, Scott Rechler, CEO and chairman of RXR, and his wife Debby, gave the health system a $10 million gift to help tackle health disparities. The gift to Northwell, and its research arm, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, funds the launch of the Scott and Debby Rechler Center for Health Outcomes at Feinstein. Through large-scale data models and artificial intelligence, the center aims to identify and address healthcare disparities and patient risk factors to identify problems early and improve care.
The Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell credits philanthropic support for its ability to attract students.
“Thanks to Donald and Barbara Zucker’s generous donation in 2017, we have been able to offer substantial scholarships to a vast number of our students,” said Dr. David Battinelli, the medical school’s dean. “This endowment allows us to attract the best and brightest to Long Island and helps us continue educating the physicians of tomorrow, creating a workforce ready to serve a diverse and growing population, not just on Long Island, but around the world.”
This was a cause that the Zuckers were passionate about, Lally said.
“For a school as new as ours, welcoming our first class just 12 years ago, an endowment like this is unique and has been transformative to the lives of our students as well as to the evolution of our school,” Battinelli said.
At Stony Brook Medicine, philanthropy is supporting a number of initiatives. This includes $10 million from various donors for the Presidential Innovation and Excellence Fund, supporting the Center for Healthy Aging.
It includes a $6.2 million investment from the Baszucki family to develop Neuroblox, a software platform developed by biomedical engineer and neuroscientist Dr. Mujica-Parodi to model brain circuits and treat brain disorders.
“Philanthropy and community partnerships are fundamental to our ability to deliver care to a range of patient populations, and we are exceptionally grateful for the support of our donors,” Dr. Hal Paz, CEO of Stony Brook University Medicine, said.
“Through their shared support of our mission, Stony Brook Medicine faculty are changing lives with lifesaving inventions and therapies,” he added.
Stony Brook received more than $4.5 million from several donors supporting the Pediatric Emergency Department Expansion Fund. It received a $4 million commitment from Kavita and Lalit Bahl to establish the Kavita and Lalit Bahl Endowed Cancer Center Directorship. It received $3 million from The Valerie Fund toward psycho-social support services for pediatric hematology/oncology patients. It received $2.55 million from Lester Kallus supporting emergency medicine residents. And it received a $1.5 million commitment from The Sanguinity Foundation to establish The Lourie Endowed Chair in Women’s Health.
Over in Oceanside, Mount Sinai South Nassau received $5 million from The Louis Feil Charitable Lead Annuity Trust in February for a four-story, 100,000-square-foot building. Scheduled to open in 2024, the Feil Family Pavilion will double the size of the current emergency department, increase critical and intensive care inpatient capacity and add nine new operating rooms.
The funding “will have a direct impact on improving patient care on the South Shore,” Dr. Adhi Sharma, Mount Sinai South Nassau president, said at the time.
In 2021, more than $3.3 million was raised to create the Alan D. Guerci, M.D. Endowment for Cardiovascular Research, honoring Guerci, the former Catholic Health and St. Francis president and CEO. This initiative aims to expand the scope and scale of research at the DeMatteis Cardiovascular Institute. The endowment provides seed funding for initiatives that include new hires and preparing new studies across the hospital’s cardiovascular specialties and more.
“Research funded through the Guerci Endowment will continue to be a driving force behind St. Francis Hospital’s advanced care options it offers to its patients,” Catholic Health President and CEO Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy said.
In 2021, the St. Francis Hospital Foundation created the Endowment for Nursing Leadership and Education as a permanent resource for essential funding for training, mentoring and formal education for all nursing staff. Patients and benefactors contributed more than $4 million toward this initiative.
The need for philanthropy, especially in healthcare, will continue. But those who step up to the plate are helping to make a difference in their communities, and maybe inspire others, with deep pockets or not, to do the same in whatever way they can.
– ADINA GENN
Struggling Boston Market cooked by Long Island evictions
Behind on its rent and other bills, Boston Market was evicted from another of its Long Island restaurants Wednesday.
The Suffolk County Sheriff evicted the company from the building at 2170 Jericho Turnpike in Commack after the property’s landlord was fed up with the tenant’s failure to meet its obligations.
The Boston Market in Commack is the latest of its Long Island restaurants to be evicted, following several others in Nassau and Suffolk counties over the past year, and there are likely more to come.
Landlords of the retail properties that Boston Market was leasing here on Long Island have been forced to kick them out for nonpayment of rent. The restaurant was evicted from its New Hyde Park location a few months ago.
“They owed us over a year’s worth of rent,” said Jordan Sanders, a principal of Sanders Equities, which owns the property. “They didn’t even tell their employees about what was going on, so when the sheriff showed up it was pretty sad for the workers.”
Garden City-based Breslin Organization had a similar experience at its West Hempstead property, as Boston Market’s rent payments first became erratic, and the tenant eventually became noncompliant, according to a Breslin spokesman. The landlord was forced to evict them from the restaurant property on Hempstead Turnpike this summer and is seeking to collect the back rent.
Boston Market was also evicted from the property at 23 West Main St. in East Islip this summer, after it had occupied the restaurant since 1995.
“We had been chasing them for rent for the last two years and they would pay right before we would have terminated their lease,” said Walter Morris, principal of the property’s Huntington-based owner WDP Enterprises. “It was always going through the courts. They stopped paying rent around January and we evicted them for nonpayment.”
WDP has since leased the 3,000-square-foot East Islip restaurant to Tex’s Chicken and Burgers, which is expected to open by the end of the year.
The Boston Market has been having issues in other regions as well. The chain ran afoul of the law in August after the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development issued stop-work orders at 27 Boston Market locations in New Jersey after finding multiple violations of workers’ rights, including more than $600,000 in back wages owed to 314 workers, according to a NJDOL statement. The company eventually paid the back wages to its employees and the stores were allowed to reopen.
Boston Market’s headquarters in Golden, Colo. was seized in May by local authorities for owing more than $300,000 in sales and payroll taxes, which the company has since paid and regained control of the offices. But there have been more signs of trouble as many of the chain’s locations are closing, have been abandoned, or have been forced to stock their stores with supermarket food as vendor contracts run out, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
The company has been slapped with several lawsuits from former employees and unpaid vendors throughout the country, with claims that Boston Market collectively owes them more than $12 million, according to published reports.
First known as Boston Chicken, the chain was launched in Newton, Mass. in 1985 and was renamed Boston Market in 1995. After rapid expansion, the company filed for bankruptcy in 1998 and was purchased by fast-food giant McDonald’s Corporation two years later. McDonald’s sold Boston Market to Sun Capital Partners in 2007 and Sun sold it to its present owner Engage Brands, a subsidiary of Rohan Group in 2020.
Once boasting more than 1,200 locations nationwide, Boston Market is down to around 300 and restaurant industry observers say it’s just a matter of time before the chain disappears completely.
Company executives were unable to be reached for comment.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
LI Wine Country celebrates 50th anniversary
Cheers to 50 years, and beyond. That’s the mantra of Long Island Wine Country, formerly Long Island Wine Council, which on Saturday celebrated its 50th anniversary in style at Peconic Bay Vineyards in Cutchogue.
The region is celebrating 50 years of planting, harvesting and winemaking – and yes, as an agricultural community, sometimes hardship. Along the way, Long Island winemakers helped transform the East End into a destination for oenophiles and casual enthusiasts alike.
“It’s a very special moment in time,” said Kareem Massoud, president of Long Island Wine Country, and the winemaker at Paumanok Vineyards in Aquebogue.
Long Island vineyards see a collective $113.6 million in revenue, according to published reports. As an industry vineyards produce over half a million cases of wine a year, Massoud said.
“It really is a turning point for our industry not just because it’s this magic number of 50 years, but it just so happens to be a point in time where the uniformly high quality of Long Island wines is unprecedented,” Massoud said. “We’ve never seen our industry have, across-the-board, such a strong offering of quality wine.”
That offering, Massoud said, “is a a result of decades of effort and learning and discovery on behalf of the growers and the winemakers and the owners who have invested so much to bring us to this point.”
Saturday’s celebration featured winemaking pioneers and other local industry leaders who mingled with attendees all evening. More than 35 vineyards offered tastings of more than 135 wines, which were organized by styles and varietals.
Food offerings were provided by more than a dozen East End restaurants such as Braun’s Seafood, The Frisky Oyster, North Fork Table & Inn, PAWPAW, Love Lane Kitchen and Noahs. There were Long Island oysters, Sterling Caviar, North Fork Potato Chips, and Gourmet Food’s International selection of cheese and charcuterie.
“It’s wonderful that all those folks are here tonight, and this is really a who’s who of the Long Island industry,” Massoud said, introducing his father to a reporter. “Everyone’s here including the fans, who are key.”
Long Island’s wine region got its start when Louisa and Alex Hargrave planted the first wine grapes in 1973. Louisa Hargrave offered some insights into the region’s early days.
“We came here because we were confident that this was the best place to grow the best grapes in the world, and we were proven to be correct,” Hargrave said. Saturday’s celebration “shows the massive success that we achieved.”
Long Island has three distinct American viticultural areas, two of which were established in the 1980s, according to Long Island Wine Country. A diverse winegrowing region, it features a cool maritime climate that is hospitable to a wide range of grape varieties. Industry experts from the region say that wines from “Long Island tend to be restrained, intense in aroma, and crisp.”
Still, there are concerns among wine-growers, including over climate change. “We’re adapting how we grow our grapes, with different viticulture practices,” Massoud said.
In addition, not all Long Island wines are available at retailers that are located in its own backyard. And although some retailers may not stock as much locally produced wine, the region’s biggest markets are on Long Island and throughout the New York region, Massoud said.
“Each winery has its own business model and so forth, and it’s true that some wineries are more are more well-distributed than others,” Massoud said. “Some are content to sell everything they make at the winery, while others are very much looking to go beyond.”
“Stores can also make a little bit of a greater effort to support what’s in their own backyard, and many of them have,” he added.
Yet even with those challenges, Massoud said, “we are really excited about what the future holds.”
– ADINA GENN
National restaurant chain to open first Long Island location
Ford’s Garage, a growing chain of automobile-themed casual restaurants, will open its first Long Island location at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove.
The chain will be building one of its burger-and-craft-beer focused eateries in the 5,100-square-foot space once occupied by Bobby’s Burger Palace at 355 Smith Haven Mall.
The company has applied to the Town of Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals to add a 998-square-foot roof-covered patio to the planned restaurant, where it will accommodate outdoor dining. Originally Ford’s Garage had asked to operate the outdoor portion all year round, but it later switched to having the outdoor dining from April 1 through Oct. 1.
“The original request to have year-round dining was problematic because it was a substantial departure from the zoning ordinance,” said Blaise Donadio, a planner for the town. “However, the revised request to have seasonal outdoor dining meets all of the zoning requirements and is certainly an approvable request.”
Founded in 2012, Ford’s Garage got rolling when real estate investor and developer Steve Israel, who grew up in Glen Cove, sought to fill a 4,800-square-foot vacancy in one of his buildings on First Street in Fort Myers, Fla. He partnered with restaurant industry veterans Daniel Kearns and Mike McGuigan and came up with a concept that combined automotive nostalgia with a tried-and-true casual eatery menu.
The partners began franchising the concept in 2015 and the chain now has 25 locations in Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and Texas. Besides being co-founder of the chain, Israel also is the area developer for New Jersey and Long Island. He and his son Jake Israel plan to open three to five Ford’s Garage restaurants in Nassau and Suffolk counties within the next few years.
The all-in cost to open a Ford’s Garage franchise ranges from about $1.46 million to $6.35 million, depending on size and location. Each restaurant employs about 100 people.
Ford’s Garage has a licensing agreement with the Ford Motor Company, enabling them to use the company’s iconic blue-oval logo and other brand imagery. Each of its restaurants are designed to resemble a 1920s-era service station and filled with Ford memorabilia, including vintage vehicles, fixtures, and gas pumps, as well as a Model T or Model A suspended above the center bar.
Besides burgers with buns branded with the Ford’s Garage logo, the restaurants offer comfort food options like homemade meatloaf, chicken wings and tenders, onion rings, and macaroni and cheese. The menu also features salads, grilled chicken, seafood and more than 100 types of beer including 40 on draft, with an emphasis on local microbreweries, varying by location.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
LI law firms demand changes on college campuses
A “disturbing” tide of campus antisemitism has prompted Long Island’s legal community to step up with a message to colleges. Either stop the complacency that allows the scourge of rising antisemitism, they said in a letter, or risk losing recruitment opportunities for their students.
Ten of Long Island’s largest firms signed the letter, which went to law schools throughout the states of New York and New Jersey.
The attorneys expressed their “extreme disappointment in the lack of condemnation by many law school deans and other administrators of anti-Semitic conduct by students and faculty members since the premeditated, barbaric rape and slaughter by Hamas on October 7, 2023, of some 1,400 Israelis, the vast majority of whom were civilian women, babies and children,” the firms wrote in the letter.
The law firms went on to say that educators have a “first and foremost obligation to protect all students, to speak out against hate of any kind and to provide an environment in which all students feel safe and can personally and professionally excel.”
“It’s not an Israel issue or a Palestinian issue,” said David Heymann, managing partner of Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone in Mineola, and a signatory of the letter. “This is a hate issue,” he said, adding that the letter is about protecting democracy.
Firms signing onto the letter include Abrams Fensterman; Harris Beach; L’Abbate, Balkan, Colavita & Contini; Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles; Meltzer Lippe; Moritt Hock & Hamroff; Rivkin Radler; Ruskin Moscou Faltischek; Westerman Ball Ederer Miller Zucker & Sharfstein; and Campolo, Middleton, & McCormick.
The letter was issued at a time when antisemitism has increased 400% since Oct. 7, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Much of that antisemitism is occurring on college campuses.
Now, nearly one in five college students say they feel less safe on campus, according to a survey by Intelligent.com, an online education magazine. Releasing its report last week, the magazine surveyed 609 college students about the Israel-Hamas war. In the survey, 25% said they were “very knowledgeable” about the war, with 86% saying they learned the issues through social media. Yet 33% said they “rarely or never fact-check information they consume.”
Heymann felt it was important as a leader to speak out against hate.
“As a son of a father who was on one of the last boats out of Nazi Germany, there was no way I could sit by and watch this happen,” he said. “No student on any campus should feel scared because of their race, religion, sexual orientation or political views–it’s just wrong.”
Heymann spoke with the partners of his firm who supported his idea to write a draft of the letter and to reach out to the larger law firms on Long Island. In total, he, along with Marc Hamroff, the managing partner at Moritt Hock & Hamroff, contacted 17 “friendly competitors,” and began incorporating instrumental feedback from Robert Alessi and John Farrell, both partners at Meltzer Lippe, as well as from the other firms signatory to the letter.
“I commend and I thank profusely my colleagues at the firms who joined in this letter,” Heymann said.
The attorneys in the letter said that many of them “recruit students at your schools or hire graduates from your institutions. We write this letter to let you know that your actions will have a direct effect on whether we will continue to recruit and hire students for positions at our respective firms.”
Long Island law firms aren’t alone in this stance. Nassau County Bar Association recently joined other bar associations in condemning the Hamas attack on Israel and antisemitism.
Wall Street law firms have led the charge in warning law schools that they won’t recruit from campuses that tolerate antisemitism.
Nixon Peabody, a global law firm with an office in Melville, and Greenberg Traurig, with offices in Bridgehampton and Garden City, and Cullen and Dykman with offices in Uniondale said they too had joined a group of large law firms in signing a letter that urges leading U.S. law schools to denounce antisemitic rhetoric, violence and harassment.
Law schools should foster an environment where students “think intelligently and look at a situation to try to understand the logic of the other side,” Heymann said. “If a professor is not teaching students to look at things that way, I question what kind of lawyer they would become.”
And when they “jump to conclusions,” he added, “it’s very dangerous.”
Meanwhile, the Long Island law firms’ letter addresses freedom of expression, with which some universities may be grappling.
“As lawyers, we assure you that we are fully conversant with and supportive of the critical freedoms of expression that are protected by the First Amendment and myriad state constitutions. However, we have witnessed during the past several weeks a disturbing increase in virulent anti-Israel, anti-Jewish speech on university campuses that goes well beyond the bounds of protected expression and, instead, seeks to incite listeners and readers to imminent violence and other unlawful acts against members of the Jewish community and others who support Israel,” the letter said.
And, they said, “such rhetoric has too often been accompanied by actual acts of mob intimidation that have placed Jewish students and other supporters of Israel in fear of imminent physical bodily harm. In every sense, such ‘speech’ constitutes ‘true threats,’ under controlling Supreme Court jurisprudence. Even if it did not, it is certainly unacceptable in an educational or professional environment.”
The letter went on to say that “nothing in the First Amendment or analogous provisions of state constitutions precludes deans and other administrators of private and public law schools alike from at the very least, discharging their duty to condemn unequivocally intimidating, incitant speech directed against Jewish students and other supporters of Israel. For those of you who have done so, we thank you. For those who have not, we respectfully urge you to do so.”
On Long Island, Susan Poser, the president of Hofstra University, which has a law school on its campus, said in a letter to its community, that its public leadership, has “extensive law enforcement experience on the federal, state, and local levels” and currently sees “no credible threats” on campus.
And Alan Kadish, the president of Touro University, which has a law school on Long Island, co-founded a coalition of more than 100 institutes of higher education that “issued a statement standing with Israel, the Palestinians who suffer under Hamas’ cruel rule in Gaza and all people of moral conscience.”
Now Heymann is looking to other leaders to step up.
“It’s important that these universities know that our respective firms are not going to turn a blind eye,” he said. “We expect better.”
– ADINA GENN
Burman sues for being iced out of $2B family business
Scott Burman has filed a lawsuit against his father, brother, two partners and an executive of his family’s firm B2K for shutting him out of their prolific real estate development business.
In the lawsuit, filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Wednesday, Scott Burman seeks $14 million in damages from Jan Burman, David Burman, Steven Krieger, Jonathan Weiss, Craig Masheb and B2K Development LLC, nearly a year after four of the principals of the company known as Engel Burman Group formed a new firm without including him.
The complaint contends that the defendants “schemed to unlawfully expel” Burman from the business that he was “critical to developing and maintaining for over two decades,” growing a portfolio that’s now worth over $2 billion.
When the new firm B2K Development was formed in Nov. 2022, its principals called it a “natural evolution of Engel Burman,” one of the most prolific and successful developers of multifamily communities and assisted living facilities in the area. Founded 25 years ago, Engel Burman has delivered thousands of condo residences through its Seasons brand, hundreds of rental apartments with its Sutton Landing developments and nearly two dozen Bristal Assisted Living communities.
Scott Burman, who joined Engel Burman in 2001 and became president of its construction operations in 2014, claims in the lawsuit that B2K is just a new name for the company, since it has the same employees, is located in the same offices, and uses its infrastructure, business contacts and track record. The suit also claims that the defendants have cut off Burman’s access to Engel Burman business lines, fee income and other revenue streams to which he is entitled.
The lawsuit acknowledges that the personal relationship between Scott Burman and his father Jan had become frosty dating back several months before the split and claims his former partner Steven Krieger exploited the damaged father-son relationship to further isolate Scott Burman and “enhance his own role” at the firm.
Besides the $14 million in damages, the lawsuit is seeking a full accounting of Engel Burman’s assets, and the imposition of a constructive trust to protect and preserve Scott Burman’s investment and any profits “wrongfully retained.”
The Burman family feud is the latest conflict among prominent Long Island real estate dynasties that have boiled over and resulted in litigation through the last couple of decades.
The Burman lawsuit was filed by attorneys Lisa Solbakken and Robert Angelillo of the Manhattan based law firm Arkin Solbakken LLP.
Scott Burman declined comment and a spokesperson for B2K said: “We don’t comment on pending litigation.”
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Rising food insecurity: The need to end hunger has only gotten greater
Food insecurity was expected to diminish in a post-pandemic world, experts believed during COVID. Instead, they are seeing the opposite.
Food banks on Long Island are experiencing greater demand, and are strategizing to purchase and distribute more pounds of food today versus a year ago.
“During COVID, there were massive delays in the supply chain,” said Paule Pachter, president and CEO of Long Island Cares Inc. – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank, headquartered in Hauppauge. And while “that’s improved, the prices are raised,” and that is putting a strain on those helping to alleviate food insecurity, not just on Long Island, but across the country, he said.
Pachter is seeing a need that is “pretty close to crisis-type numbers where our partners are reporting anywhere from a 35% to 70% increase in the number of people coming for food assistance.”
Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a “lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life.”
On Long Island, 221,000 people are food insecure, with an estimated 65,000 of them children, according to the most recent statistics from Long Island Cares.
Currently, food insecurity is growing at a time of increased costs at grocery stores, gas pumps and beyond. It is further exacerbated by the termination of government-funded COVID support, as well as newly arrived immigrants who have a connection to families already on Long Island, experts said.
At the same time, people struggle to pay bills, feed their families and move on from the pandemic when they might have lost jobs, said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank in Melville.
Across the five food banks that Long Island Cares supports, the organization has purchased and received 37.59% more food than it did a year ago. This includes items from partnering grocery chains such as Stop & Shop, King Kullen, ShopRite and others, as well as Amazon, Walmart and Costco. The increase also accounts for federal commodities received from the USDA.
All told, Long Island Cares has distributed 28.4% more food than it did a year ago to its pantries, partner pantries as well as soup kitchens, senior centers, veterans’ facilities and other locations.
Others agree that food insecurity is growing.
“We have seen a 65% increase in requests for meals since last year,” said Dana Lopez, director of marketing and communications at The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network) in Hempstead.
“Since before the pandemic until this year [2019-2023], we’ve had a 346% increase in the number of meals requested,” Lopez said. “We have a 169% increase in the number of people from 2021 to 2023. Many of these new people are taking food for people unable to walk to
The INN.”
That new demand, Lopez said, is “because the increase in the cost of food and the loss of government COVID support funding, which had helped many people living in poverty.”
The increase in food insecurity comes as the end-of-year holidays approach, and food drives ramp up. Island Harvest, for example, estimates the organization needs “well over 60,000 turkeys,” Dresner said, adding that the organization had originally anticipated 23,000 turkeys, chickens, tofurkey, and hams. “We’re 37,000 short,” she said.
But partnerships, such as the one with Bethpage Federal Credit Union, help. This year, for example, the credit union launched a new corporate challenge to see which employer donates the most turkeys, benefiting Island Harvest.
Programs, such as New York State’s Nourish New York, also help, Pachter said. Through this program, food banks are able to purchase from the state’s agricultural community, including “Long Island Grown” produce and more.
“We spend over $200,000 to help Long Island fishermen under Nourish New York, and can buy fresh fish,” he said.
Still, food banks face other challenges.
For example, in the last year, “a handful of foundations” that had supported Long Island Cares dissolved after their founders had died, bringing a close to a stream of funding, Pachter said.
Those facing food insecurity often require additional support.
“Anytime there is an increase in the cost of basic necessities, it impacts people living in poverty and those who lack the money necessary to meet their basic needs,” said Heather Edwards, executive director of the Allied Foundation, which offers a diaper bank and period products. “Currently, the government does not recognize diapers and period products as essential needs, and no program–not SNAP, WIC or Medicaid–allocates dollars for their purchase.”
She added that diapers and period supplies are “essential needs and national public health issues. No one should have to choose between buying food over basic necessities such as diapers that keep their babies healthy, and period supplies to manage their menstruation.”
All of this requires raising awareness, developing new strategies, and continued advocacy.
“We think the government needs to take another look at funding support for low-income individuals and families, including emergency food stamps, and consider temporary work permits for those seeking asylum,” Lopez said.
Pachter would like to see regional costs of living factored into the family poverty level, which configures into Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program eligibility. For example, “$51,000 a year for a family of four gets you a lot more in Alabama than it will on Long Island,” he said.
Island Harvest works to empower people to “help them understand the nutritional value of food” and its “impact on health,” Dresner said, adding that positive outcomes can include lower expenses on medication. The organization also has a “holiday hero” program where businesses become food collection sites across the region where trained volunteers can get food faster to families in need.
“The corporate community on Long Island is very generous,” Pachter said.
He recalled the days of his organization’s namesake Harry Chapin, when the legendary folk singer from Huntington “went around personally” to Long Island businesses in his quest to end hunger.
“Chapin would tell executives ‘These are the people you live with–you gotta step up,” Pachter said. “And they’re still doing it.”
– ADINA GENN
Global restaurant chain to open first Long Island location
Pelicana Chicken, a fast-growing Korean fried chicken chain, is expanding to Long Island.
The company will be opening a 1,350-square-foot store at 542 Woodbury Road in Plainview.
Long Island’s first Pelicana Chicken eatery will be owned and operated by licensee Brian Kim, a former regional manager for the company. The Plainview location is a homecoming of sorts for the entrepreneur, who lived nearby for many years and frequented the La Piazetta pizzeria that had previously occupied the space.
“It feels great to come back to my neighborhood and this is a dream come true moment,” Kim said. “Especially being the place where I used to eat pizza when I was a teenager. That brings back a lot of memories and I felt destined when the location became available.”
Kim, who is supported in the operation by his wife Danbee, a paralegal with a fintech firm, has a lot of experience with the Pelicana brand. He learned the business from the ground up, working 10-hour days, six days a week at the chain’s first U.S. restaurant in Flushing. As its regional manager for the past seven years, he trained staff and helped open several of the chain’s locations in Queens, Brooklyn and New Jersey.
“We wanted to make sure Long Island’s first entry was with the right person who can maintain the quality, taste, and freshness for Pelicana,” said Julie Kim, president and CEO of Pelicana USA East Coast. “Brian’s seven years of experience as regional manager, along with his involvement in various aspects of the business, certainly make him the right person. Having someone with a deep understanding of the brand and a proven track record can indeed be beneficial for a successful launch in a new location.”
Pelicana offers an extensive menu that features fried chicken coated in Korean-inspired signature sauces with flavors like sweet and spicy, spicy barbecue and honey garlic. It also offers mochi donut cheese balls, spicy rice cakes, French fries and sweet potato fries, salads and much more. Earlier this year, Pelicana made Gotham Magazine’s list of best chicken wings in New York City.
The Plainview location will have dine-in seating for about 20 people, but it will also offer online ordering, pick-up and delivery.
“We change frying oil daily to keep that golden crust and we use the highest quality chicken,” Brian Kim said. “Sweet and Spicy, an authentic Korean signature sauce, is loved by Korean people that every generation knows since the Pelicana brand has a long history.”
Founded in Daejeon, South Korea in 1982, Pelicana now has more than 3,000 locations worldwide with a presence in China, Australia, Mongolia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Canada and the United Kingdom. The company entered the U.S. market in 2014 and has 28 stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia, Michigan, Cailfornia and Washington.
Kim is planning to open the Pelicana Chicken store in Plainview towards the end of November. And if it goes as well as he expects, there will be more Long Island locations to follow.
“I want to start with one first and do it the right way, so it’s successful,” he said.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Ed Romaine is the new Suffolk leader
Voters have chosen Ed Romaine, the Brookhaven Town supervisor, as Suffolk County’s next executive. The Republican defeated his Democratic challenger Dave Calone, with 57% of the vote on Tuesday, Election Day.
Romaine will replace Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat who served in the role since 2012, and could not run again for reelection because of term limit restrictions.
“Thank you, Suffolk,” Romaine told a crowd of supporters in Patchogue where Republicans had gathered to await the election results. “You’ve given me a large mandate tonight. You’ve crushed it. And we’re going to use that mandate to move this county forward.”
Romaine said he would work to keep taxes low as well as to keep the county affordable and safe. He also pledged to ensure that law enforcement would have the needed tools to “do the job.”
In conceding, Calone, a business leader and former federal and state prosecutor, told his supporters, according to published reports, “I wish him [Romaine] well as the new Suffolk County executive. His success will be our success.”
Bellone released a statement, saying he would work to ensure a smooth transition with the incoming administration.
“I would like to congratulate Ed Romaine on his victory last night after a hard fought campaign,” Bellone said in the statement. “Our communities have placed their trust and confidence in him to lead our county forward.”
Bellone spoke of the work of his administration, confronting “numerous crises while working to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing this region, including water quality, public safety, economic development, housing and improving county finances.
“While we have made significant progress, much work remains,” he said. “I pledge to do everything I can to assist the new county executive-elect and his administration as they prepare to lead on these and other critical issues.”
– ADINA GENN
LI art and culture nonprofits generated $330M in economic activity in 2022: report
Long Island’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $330 million in economic activity in 2022. That’s according to a new economic and social impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts. The results were announced Thursday by Long Island Arts Alliance at the Huntington Arts Council.
The study, “Arts & Economic Prosperity 6,” or AEP6 found that the economic activity saw $178 million in spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations, and $151.6 million in event-related spending by their audiences. That activity supported 4,905 jobs and generated $81.2 million in local, state and federal government revenue, according to the study.
“The findings are a testament to the remarkable contributions of the arts to our local economy, and they provide us with a clearer understanding of the importance of supporting and nurturing our vibrant arts community,” Lauren Wagner, executive director of LIAA, said in a written statement.
“By showcasing the tangible impact of the arts on Long Island, we aim to catalyze positive changes in grant funding and provide our lobbyists with stronger leverage to drive legislative change in support of our sector,” she added.
The report’s findings show that spending by arts and culture audiences generates valuable commerce to local merchants, a value-add with which few other industries can compete. Attendees spend an average of $37.31 per person per event, beyond the cost of admission. Non-local attendees demonstrate an even greater economic impact, spending $63.83 per person, per event. 76% of surveyed non-local attendees reported that their primary purpose for visiting was to attend the cultural event, emphasizing the draw and significance of our arts and culture offerings.
“Long Island has a rich history of arts and culture, which contributes to our quality of life,” Matt Cohen, Long Island Association president and CEO, said in a written statement. “Thanks to the Long Island Arts Alliance we also know it’s a key regional economic driver and should continue to cultivate this critical and diverse sector.”
The study looked locally as well as nationally, arts and culture are a critical economic driver of dynamic communities.
“Arts and culture organizations have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars in the community longer. They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists, and new residents,” Nolen Bivens, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, said in a written statement. “When we invest in nonprofit arts and culture, we strengthen our economy and build more livable communities.”
– ADINA GENN
Tritec tapped as master developer in Smithtown’s downtown
The Town of Smithtown has chosen Tritec Real Estate as master developer for a transit-oriented development plan for part of its downtown.
East Setauket-based Tritec was one of several development firms that responded to a request for qualifications that the town issued in the spring to “conduct a study and formulate a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan for the revitalization of a portion of downtown Smithtown.”
The town’s draft Comprehensive Plan released in 2019, recommended creating a TOD zone between the Long Island Rail Road tracks and Manor Road, bordered by Landing Avenue. It also recommended multifamily housing development on the north side of the tracks “to serve as a transition” between Smithtown’s downtown and the single-family residential neighborhood.
In addition to the planning efforts, a Suffolk County project to connect Smithtown’s downtown with the county’s Sewer District #6 in Kings Park will be an integral piece to revitalizing the area. Once completed, it will increase wastewater capacity to allow expansion of restaurants and businesses and pave the way for new multifamily developments.
It’s possible that Tritec will also be involved in Smithtown’s planned sewer expansion, since it has prior experience working with municipalities on wastewater infrastructure. The company built the Town of Brookhaven Sewer District #1 that feeds the 1 million-square-foot Stony Brook Technology Center, as well as Brookhaven’s Sewer District #2 at the 80-acre Brookhaven Technology Center in Shirley. Most recently, Tritec brought 1.5 million gallons of wastewater capacity to its Station Yards project and surrounding community in Ronkonkoma.
“We are incredibly excited about the opportunity to work on the continued revitalization of Smithtown’s Main Street,” said Chris Kelly, Tritec’s vice president of marketing. “Many Tritec employees live in the town and care deeply about the community. We will bring the same passion and energy that we have been able to bring to other Long Island downtowns, work closely with all of the stakeholders, help the town realize its vision, and generate investment and economic activity in the downtown.”
For more than a decade, Tritec has spearheaded the development of transit-oriented multifamily housing projects that have helped downtown revitalization efforts on Long Island. Its first was New Village, a $112 million mixed-use project that brought 291 apartments and 45,000 square feet of retail to the Village of Patchogue and has served as a catalyst for the village’s downtown revitalization.
After New Village, Tritec built the $45 million, 112-unit Shipyard at Port Jeff Harbor, which opened in 2017; and the $103 million, 260-unit rental complex called The Wel in Lindenhurst, which opened in 2021. Just this week, the company welcomed the first move-ins at its 418-unit Shoregate apartment development in downtown Bay Shore.
Currently, Tritec is deep into its $1.2 billion Station Yards project aimed at revitalizing some 53 acres around the Ronkonkoma LIRR station into a vibrant walkable mixed-use community. When completed, the development will have 1,450 apartments, 195,000 square feet of retail space, and 360,000 square feet of office space.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
The first South Fork Wind turbine is installed
An offshore wind turbine – the first of 12 – for South Fork Wind has been installed for a planned 130-megawatt offshore wind farm 35 miles off Montauk.
The offshore wind farm has been designed to address what New York State officials call a “growing reliability challenge for Long Island’s electrical grid.” The wind farm is also expected to generate enough renewable energy to power an estimated 70,000 Long Island homes, eliminate as much as 6 million tons of carbon emissions, “or the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road annually over a 25-year period,” according to the state.
This initiative supports the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to install nine gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, bringing with it green jobs.
“New York is paving the way towards a clean energy future, and the installation of our first offshore wind turbine marks a momentous step forward,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a written statement. “We are not only generating clean energy, but also pioneering a healthy and safe environment for future generations of New Yorkers. We are shaping a brighter, greener tomorrow, committed to a future where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand.”
The first of South Fork Wind’s 12 Siemens Gamesa wind turbine generators was hoisted into place by the offshore construction team. Hundreds of U.S. workers and three northeast ports have supported South Fork Wind’s construction, helping to stand up the foundations of a new domestic supply chain that’s creating local union jobs across the northeast.
All 12 turbines are expected to be installed by the end of 2023 or early 2024.
First approved by the LIPA Board of Trustees in 2017, South Fork Wind began construction in February 2022, beginning with the onshore export cable system that links the project to the local energy grid, which was completed early this year. The wind farm reached its “steel in the water” milestone in June 2023 with the installation of the project’s first monopile foundation.
Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel, the Aeolus, is installing the turbines. Turbine installation involves using a crane to place the steel turbine tower onto the foundation. The nacelle and rotor are then installed on top of the tower. The blades are then lifted and installed individually by bolting them to the rotor.
Once in operation, South Fork Wind will be supported by U.S.-built crew transfer vessels and eventually by America’s first offshore wind service 0perations vessel.
“Today marks a significant step in New York’s clean energy journey and implementing Governor Hochul’s vision of a sustainable and resilient future for New Yorkers,” Long Island Power Authority CEO Thomas Falcone said, in written statement.
“The installation of New York’s first offshore wind turbine represents concrete action transforming the Climate Act’s target of 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035 into reality, and LIPA is proud to be supporting this project on behalf of our 1.2 million customers on Long Island and in the Rockaways,” he added.
“Days like today provide striking context for the work we do to advance the offshore wind industry in New York,” NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen Harris said, in a written statement. “We congratulate our partners at Ørsted, Eversource, and LIPA as this first turbine at South Fork Wind represents a momentous milestone in our efforts to bring the benefits of clean, renewable offshore wind energy to New York.”
– ADINA GENN
Tate’s Bake Shop expanding at new Shirley development
Tate’s Bake Shop will be expanding at a newly constructed warehouse and distribution development in Shirley.
The cookie maker, a subsidiary of Chicago-based conglomerate Mondelez International, leased the just completed 150,000-square-foot industrial building in the Precision Innovation Park, located just south of the Long Island Expressway at Exit 68.
Tate’s will be leaving the 53,000 square feet of industrial space it had been occupying since 2018 at the Hampton Business District in Westhampton Beach, as its lease expires at the end of January. But the company will continue to operate its 40,000-square-foot factory in East Moriches.
The new Shirley building was a speculative development, part of the $72 million Precision Innovation Park project, a joint venture of Yonkers-based AVR Realty and Scannell Properties, a national developer headquartered in Indianapolis. The new building leased by Tate’s features 36-foot clear ceilings, 28 dock doors, 28 trailer stalls and parking for 150 cars. The developers also plan to build a 250,000-square-foot building on the 47.2-acre site that will have 40-foot clear ceilings, 42 loading doors, 52 trailer stalls and parking for 250 cars.
AVR purchased the vacant Shirley site in 2020 and the developers received economic incentives for the project in June 2022 from the Town of Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency. AVR is also a partner in the Breslin-Rose Associates’ 332-acre mixed-use development called The Boulevard, located just across the LIE in Yaphank. The Boulevard consists of more than 1,000 units of rental and for-sale housing, as well as a hotel and a 300,000-square-foot retail complex built on the property formerly occupied by the Parr Meadows racetrack.
Scannell Properties is a privately held real estate development and investment company that focuses on building industrial, office, and multifamily projects throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Founded in 1990, Scannell has completed more than 470 development projects totaling 130 million square feet and its annual development volume is estimated at $5 billion, according to the company.
Tate’s got started when its founder Kathleen King open her first bake shop in 1980 and named it after her dad. The company was sold to Mondelez International for $528 million in 2018.
Besides Tate’s, Mondelez owns many popular consumer brands, including Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Ritz Crackers, Cadbury, Toblerone, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and many others. The company reported revenue of around $31.5 billion in 2022.
Paul Leone and Marko Glavadanovic of CBRE represented Tate’s, while their CBRE colleague Phil Heilpern represented the landlord in the Shirley lease transaction.
– DAVID WINZELBERG
Work set to begin on $134.8M Hicksville TOD project
Construction is set to begin this month on a planned $134.8 million mixed-use transit-oriented project in Hicksville.
AR Hicksville LLC, an affiliate of Manhattan-based Alpine Residential, will be building a 382,725-square-foot building that will bring 189 rental apartments over 7,660 square feet of retail space on 2.16 acres next to the Hicksville Long Island Rail Road station.
The developer will be getting recently approved economic incentives from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency on the project, for which a groundbreaking ceremony is expected to be held this month.
The development replaces a crumbling parking lot and two vacant commercial buildings at 99 Newbridge Road, 4 Duffy Ave. and 2-10 Jerusalem Ave. The development is the largest so far to be approved by the Town of Oyster Bay in its ongoing efforts to revitalize Hicksville’s downtown.
The Alpine project is the type of smart-growth development that’s been sought by the town since it rezoned the area in 2021. The rezoning came three-and-a-half years after the town received a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant from the state in August 2017. Alpine will get $1 million of that DRI grant money to assist its project.
The new TOD will have two levels of underground parking to accommodate 338 vehicles. It will have a mix of 14 studios, 76 one-bedroom units, 88 two-bedroom units and 11 three-bedroom apartments. Monthly rents for the studios range from $2,000 to $2,275; from $1,967 to $3,411 for one-bedroom apartments; from $2,858 to $3,902 for two-bedroom apartments; and from $3,369 to $4,172 for the three-bedroom apartments.
Nineteen of the new Hicksville apartments will be designated as workforce housing and offered at reduced rents. Amenities at the complex will include co-working space, lobby lounge, yoga studio, fitness center, outdoor pool, a playground for young children, and a rooftop lounge and dog run.
“A project of this magnitude is not one that comes around every day,” Nassau IDA Chairman William Rockensies said in an IDA statement. “It is set to provide hundreds of current and future Nassau residents with a place they can call home, including dozens who rely on workforce housing to support their families. It is very important that we ensure that our workers can live and thrive within our county, and we are proud to give this project our support.”
Over the course of its 20-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, the project is expected to bring in a net tax benefit of more than $17.4 million. When compared to the $6.2 million that the property would generate in taxes over that time span without the project, the IDA’s assistance is set to result in a 282 percent increase in tax benefits to local taxing jurisdictions, according to the IDA statement.
“When taking into account the tax benefits, local business revenue boosts and impact on the Downtown Revitalization Initiative that this project will provide, it makes total sense for the IDA to support this project,” Nassau IDA CEO Sheldon Shrenkel said in the statement. “The positive impact that it will provide is enormous. This is exactly the type of project we look to support and we are thrilled to help it get off the ground.”
The Alpine project team includes Fogarty Finger Architecture, Bohler Engineering and Racanelli Construction. The project will create about 370 full-time-equivalent construction jobs and take nearly two years to complete.
“We are very excited by this project, not only because of the possibility of housing it will bring to Nassau residents, but also because of its ability to be a part of the Hicksville Downtown Revitalization Initiative,” Todd Schefler, an Alpine principal, said in the statement. “Hicksville is a fantastic community that deserves to flourish. We are looking forward to playing whatever role we can in making that happen and we thank the IDA for their assistance in providing that opportunity.”
– DAVID WINZELBERG
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When it comes to leveraging a multi-million-dollar state grant program, the Village of Westbury has […]
Small business owners aim to go the distance with personalized service to wow their clients, so they[…]
The 128,600-square-foot manufacturing and warehousing facility is on 5.36 acres.
The three highest-priced home sales in Rockville Centre last month ranged from $1.038 million to $1.[…]
The three highest-priced home sales in Lawrence last month ranged from $625,000 to $685,000.
The 3,019-square-foot, two-store building is fully occupied.
The three highest-priced home sales in Lindenhurst last month ranged from $800,000 to $885,000.
2023: How the Long Island region kept the momentum going
28/12/2023
With lower rates on the horizon, housing market eyes 2024 gains
21/12/2023
Inked: Recent LI real estate deals
21/12/2023
On Our Island 12/22/2023
21/12/2023
On Our Island 12/15/2023
19/12/2023
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