Monthly Archives: March 2019

The Next Great Hope, Again: Nassau Hub

While the debate continues on the loss of Amazon headquarters from Long Island City—best or worst thing to happen to New York and who gets the blame or the credit?—out on Long Island, politicians are pushing the Nassau Hub as the next great, transformative project in the tri-state area. Of course, we’ve heard it all before about this 77-acre site surrounding Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, where attempts to develop residential, commercial and industrial-use space around the arena have failed repeatedly for various reasons over the years.

But there is new cause for hope that things will truly move forward this time as Governor Andrew Cuomo recently added $40 million in state funds, earmarked for three pedestrian bridges and to help Northwell Health build a medical research center (the “innovation center”), that will include laboratory and educational space. That money is in addition to the $85 million already coming from the state for parking garages.

As the developers attempt to move things forward and local politicians promote the possibilities of Nassau Hub, the Coliseum has been hosting concerts and the NHL’s Islanders have returned to play a portion of this season and next season’s games as they wait for a new arena to be completed at Belmont Park. (The team had left the outdated venue for Brooklyn.) With the Islanders doing well this year and big names like Billy Joel and Elton John booking shows, more people have been brought back to the area.

Developers continue to face resistance from nearby residents, however, who recently voiced concerns about the $1.5 billion plan to build office, retail, restaurant, and entertainment space, along with the medical and biotech research center and 500 units of housing. They were given permission to draft a site plan but must enter a project labor agreement with local building trade councils, as well as providing quarterly updates to the legislature and holding regular public meetings.

Should things work out this time and move forward, Phase I of the project, which includes the construction of the two state-funded parking garages with 3,400 spaces, the Northwell Health Innovation Center and half of the housing and entertainment units, is contingent on county legislative approval. Pending that approval, it is expected to begin within 24 months with anticipated completion by 2022.

Northeast Projects At Risk of Delay, Defunding To Pay for Border Wall

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There are many government construction projects in the Northeast that could be delayed and millions of dollars in funds may be diverted to pay for President Trump’s Border Wall. The Department of Defense list of military projects that could potentially be impacted was released this week by a senator on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In New Jersey, a $41 million construction project at Picatinny Arsenal is at risk of being delayed, but the four projects—including work on electrical systems and mechanical systems, as well as exterior renovations and cleaning and repairing lift stations and catch basins—totaling more than $100 million for Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst would go ahead as planned because those contracts are scheduled to be awarded in March, April, May and September, and the Defense Department said it would not divert funding from projects scheduled to begin before Oct. 1, according to NJ.com.

In New York, The U.S. Military Academy in West Point could lose up to $160 million designated for a new engineering center and parking center, Army Times reported.

Four projects in Pennsylvania are at risk, including a $71 million submarine propeller manufacturing facility in Philadelphia. In Delaware, the $39 million aircraft maintenance building at Dover Air Force could be delayed, according to Delaware Business Now.

As of now, no project would be cancelled to fund the Border Wall, the Pentagon said. But for that to hold true, Congress must approve the request to fully replenish the funds, according to the Army Times.

Delaware Seeks Funds for Infrastructure, Transportation Projects

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Like its larger Northeast neighbors Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Delaware is also in need of vital infrastructure and transportation improvements and Governor John Carney addressed those issues in his proposed budget for 2020. Carney’s plan for the next fiscal year includes a Transportation Infrastructure Investment Fund that has $10 million allocated “to improve public infrastructure to support job-creating economic development projects” and a Capital Transportation Plan that designates $3.2 billion through 2025 to “modernize Delaware’s transportation system.”

Delaware took a step toward getting some of that needed construction funded last month when Carney and NJ governor Phil Murphy announced new toll rates at the Delaware Memorial Bridge (DMB) that will fund safety and infrastructure projects by the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA). With the additional revenue, the DRBA now has the resources to fund capital projects planned at Delaware Memorial Bridge including the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Bridge Paint Removal and Recoating ($48.2 million); Suspension Rope Replacement ($24.5 million); Bridge Steelwork Repairs ($40.5 million); Pin and Link Rehabilitation on Both Structures of DMB ($19.7 million); Ship Collision Protection System ($45.2 million); Bridge Deck Repair ($21.5 million); Transfer Bridge Repairs at the Cape May–Lewes Ferry ($4.3 million); and Ferry Repowering Program ($9.5 million).

Schumer Hopes Legislation Can Jump-start Gateway Construction

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This week New York Senator Chuck Schumer said he will propose legislation to push construction to start on the multi-billion dollar Gateway Tunnel and Portal Bridge Project. Speaking at an event of the Association for a Better New York, Schumer said his bill would allow New York and New Jersey to advance money to get shovel-ready construction projects started and be guaranteed reimbursement from the federal government when the U.S. Department of Transportation gives its final approval.

Schumer said “if DOT continues to withhold the new starts grants from Portal and the ROD [record of decision] for the Hudson tunnels” he and fellow members of Congress from New York and New Jersey would push this legislation and attach it to an appropriations bill or some other “must-pass legislation,” according to The Bond Buyer.

Right now, Schumer said, even if the states had the money to fund the projects ready to begin the $12.7 billion plan to upgrade the rail tunnel under the Hudson River, the local government won’t spend that money for fear of not getting back what they would be owed from the federal government.

Acknowledging that this legislation is not the “magic solution” to solving the problems plaguing the Gateway Project overnight, Schumer said “the time for waiting is over.”