Case File · East Farmingdale, New York
Thirteen state acres.
First target of a $500M fund.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced May 3, 2024 that a 13-acre NYSDOT parcel on Conklin Street at Republic Airport would be the inaugural site in New York’s state-owned-land housing pipeline. 20% of units affordable at 80% AMI. RFP responses due August 7, 2024.
Cited site read: 72/100 and flagged the RFP window, affordability requirement, and airport-frontage constraints before response.
13 acres
Site Size
$500M
State Fund
15,000 homes
Statewide Target
20% @ 80% AMI
Affordable Share
May 3, 2024
Announced
Aug 7, 2024
RFP Deadline
East Farmingdale, New York
State land is the unlock.
April 2024
FY2025 Enacted Budget includes $500M state-land housing capital fund
New York’s FY2025 Enacted Budget — the statewide housing agreement Governor Hochul negotiated with the Legislature — includes a $500 million capital fund directed at developing up to 15,000 new homes on state-owned land. The fund is paired with agency coordination on surplus-property identification, creating the structural pipeline subsequent site announcements would draw from.
May 3, 2024
Governor Hochul designates Conklin Street as first site
Governor Hochul’s office announces that a 13-acre NYSDOT parcel on Conklin Street at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, will be the first target of the state-land housing pipeline. The announcement specifies that 20% of units must be affordable at 80% AMI. Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine joins the announcement, framing the project as redevelopment of a “blighted area.”
May - August 2024
RFP window runs through August 7, 2024
The state issues a Request for Proposals with responses due August 7, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Respondents must model the 20% / 80% AMI minimum into their feasibility, account for Republic Airport adjacency and NYSDOT parcel constraints, and integrate with Suffolk County Planning Commission requirements.
2024-2025
Suffolk PC context: 55 Change-of-Zone reviews
The Suffolk County Planning Commission’s 2024-2025 Annual Report documents 55 Change-of-Zone requests reviewed during the cycle, of which a growing share touch multifamily rental and mixed-use conversions. The commission’s coordination role provides the county-level backstop for state-land housing approvals.
Ongoing
Template for subsequent state-land sites
The Conklin Street announcement established the template New York will reuse as additional NYSDOT, Empire State Development, and other agency parcels are released to the housing pipeline. Developers positioning for the broader program are working backward from the Conklin structure.
The Program
FY2025 NY Housing Agreement
The FY2025 Enacted Budget housing agreement capitalized a $500M fund for building up to 15,000 homes on state-owned land, paired with the 421-a successor program (Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers), and a layered Good Cause Eviction and conversion-friendly statute set.
The Site
13 NYSDOT Acres, Republic Airport
The Conklin Street parcel sits adjacent to Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, unincorporated Babylon, Suffolk County. NYSDOT ownership short-circuits the typical ground-acquisition-from-private-owner stage that slows Long Island housing deals. The parcel's transit orientation and existing road frontage support higher-density product types than the surrounding single-family pattern.
The Requirement
20% Affordable at 80% AMI
RFP respondents must dedicate at least 20% of units to households at or below 80% Area Median Income. Structuring to this requirement from day one is a prerequisite; subsidy stacking (LIHTC, state programs) determines economic viability at the 80% band.
The Precedent
Template for the Pipeline
The Conklin Street announcement is the structural template — surplus state parcel, 20% / 80% AMI floor, RFP-driven developer selection — that each subsequent state-land housing site will follow. Firms pre-positioning for the broader program are designing organizational playbooks against this structure.
Key Decision Makers & Stakeholders
The people behind the first state-land deal.
Governor Kathy Hochul
Governor, State of New York
Albany, NY
Documented Record
May 3, 2024 press release announced Conklin Street as the first state-land housing site. Statement of record: “Leveraging state-owned land is a significant opportunity to increase housing supply and help New Yorkers find a place to call home.”
The governor's office is the principal author of the state-land housing pipeline. Every subsequent surplus-parcel announcement follows from the FY2025 budget agreement and the structure set at Conklin Street. Governor-level sponsorship is the political backstop for the program.
Edward Romaine
Suffolk County Executive
Suffolk County, NY
Documented Record
Joined Governor Hochul's May 3, 2024 announcement. Statement of record: “The redevelopment of the state owned Conklin Street in East Farmingdale will transform this blighted area while providing much needed housing.”
County-executive endorsement is necessary but not sufficient for Long Island housing deals. Romaine's public support reduces Suffolk-level political risk for the RFP awardee and signals coordination with Suffolk County Planning Commission review on any required Change-of-Zone action.
New York State Department of Transportation
Site-controlling agency
Albany, NY
Documented Record
NYSDOT holds title to the 13-acre Conklin Street parcel at Republic Airport. Agency coordinated with Governor's Office on the site's inclusion in the state-land housing pipeline.
NYSDOT's role as landowner makes the Conklin Street deal a state-to-developer transaction rather than a private-land acquisition. Replicating the pipeline at scale requires similar coordination with Empire State Development, OGS, and other state agencies holding surplus parcels.
New York State Legislature (FY2025)
Budget approving body
Albany, NY
Documented Record
Enacted the FY2025 budget including the $500M state-land housing capital fund and 15,000-home statewide target. Agreement capped multi-year housing negotiations around 421-a replacement, Good Cause Eviction, and conversion-friendly statutes.
The Legislature's budget concurrence converts governor-led policy into structural capital. Any developer modeling state-land deals should track subsequent budget cycles for supplemental appropriations, eligibility adjustments, and agency rulemaking.
Suffolk County Planning Commission
County-level review body
Suffolk County, NY
Documented Record
2024-2025 Annual Report documents 55 Change-of-Zone requests reviewed during the cycle. Commission's NYS Gen. Muni. Law §239-m referral authority remains the county-level backstop for local zoning actions related to housing pipeline sites.
The SCPC is an intermediate review body whose recommendations can be overridden by local boards with supermajority votes. Track commission recommendations on each state-land site to forecast how a local municipality's super-majority posture will shape approval risk.
Town of Babylon
Local zoning authority (unincorporated East Farmingdale)
Suffolk County, NY
Documented Record
The Conklin Street parcel lies in unincorporated East Farmingdale within the Town of Babylon. Any local approvals — site plan, variances — flow through Babylon town boards.
Babylon's local posture on the Conklin project is the practical gating factor once the state selects a developer. The town's historical mix of industrial and airport-adjacent uses is more permissive than Long Island's single-family-dominant jurisdictions, but local-board discretion remains on site-plan conditions.
“What if you knew — before the RFP drops — which state parcels are next in the pipeline?”
Two Scores, Two Moments
Pre-RFP score. Post-selection score.
State-land deals run fast once announced — but only for firms pre-modeled.
Pre-Announcement Intel
State parcel identified; capacity for housing program established but no formal RFP or terms. Without advance modeling of the 20% / 80% AMI requirement, firms arriving at the RFP stage are behind those who pre-built.
Post-Selection Score
Conklin Street announcement set the statewide template. Once the developer is selected and MOA executed, deal moves through Babylon town site-plan and Suffolk CPC review — a tractable path for a prepared respondent.
Source Note
The Conklin Street deal is the first in a statewide pipeline of NYSDOT, Empire State Development, and other surplus parcels. Firms that model the state-land playbook now — affordability math, RFP choreography, county-level review — will move faster on the next 10-20 sites.
The Decision Framework
How to use this case file.
Three patterns from Conklin Street that apply to every state-land housing deal.
Pre-identify surplus state parcels before RFP drops
Track NYSDOT, Empire State Development, OGS, SUNY, and MTA surplus-property inventories. The FY2025 housing agreement funds a statewide pipeline — the next sites are already in the queue. Respondents positioned with pre-built pro formas will capture disproportionate share.
Structure to 20% / 80% AMI from the outset
The affordability floor is not negotiable. Model LIHTC stacking, state bond proceeds, and conversion-friendly statute interactions so the 20% / 80% AMI band is already capital-structured by the time the RFP drops.
Pattern: state sponsorship compresses local review
State ownership + governor-level announcement + county-executive endorsement materially reduces the local-political gauntlet. Budget for site-plan and SEQRA review, but do not pro-forma the multi-cycle community opposition typical on Long Island private-land deals.
The lesson from Conklin Street:
State-owned land is the single largest lever in New York’s housing agreement. Firms that pre-model the playbook will capture the pipeline; those that wait for each RFP to drop will chase from behind.
Get the pipeline modeled before the second site is announced.
The Pre-Filing Research
What RealClear finds on Conklin Street.
Before the RFP closes. Before the MOA is signed. Before the local approvals start.
Site Analysis
Conklin Street / Republic Airport — 13 Acres
East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, NY
Site Control
NYSDOT ownership; state RFP process; Republic Airport frontage.
Statutory Framework
FY2025 budget $500M state-land housing capital fund; 15,000-unit statewide target.
Affordability Requirement
20% affordable units at 80% AMI minimum.
Local Posture
Suffolk County Executive supported; state-owned land simplifies local entitlement leverage.
Precedent Flag
This is the inaugural site in New York’s state-land housing pipeline. The structure established here — NYSDOT parcel, 20% affordable at 80% AMI, statewide RFP — sets the template for each subsequent state-land site.
Recommendation
Track Governor’s Office and NYSDOT / Empire State Development surplus-property rollouts. Firms positioning for state-land deals should model 20% / 80% AMI structures and be ready to respond to short-window RFPs.
Know the Pipeline Before the RFP Drops
Your competitor is mapping the next state-land site right now.
RealClear runs a full entitlement-risk analysis — site control, statutory framework, affordability math, local posture, and comparable outcomes — before any RFP response is drafted.
Cited research summary · Not legal advice · Verify independently before making investment decisions