Farmingville, NY - The Town of Brookhaven, located 50 miles from New York City in Suffolk County, Long Island, announces its official bid for Amazon’s second headquarters. The announcement was made by Edward P. Romaine, Supervisor of the Town of Brookhaven, during a press conference Thursday morning and attended by elected officials, business leaders, community members and press.
Brookhaven’s bid proposes new Amazon operations at Calabro Airport, which spans more than 500 contiguous acres owned by the Town, allowing for seamless transfer of ownership. There is also a reverter clause that transfers the property to the State if the bid is accepted.
The site is particularly ideal for corporate expansion thanks to its strategic location within the New York Metropolitan Area, which offers a workforce of more than 10 million. The airport provides access to NYS Sunrise Highway, Long Island Expressway, and Brookhaven Rail Terminal and is located within one mile of the proposed relocation of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) Yaphank Station.
Calabro Airport is also located with 50 miles of three major airports?Long Island MacArthur Airport, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport?which specialize in domestic and international travel and offer frequent flights to key Amazon locations in Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington, D.C.
“The Town of Brookhaven is fully dedicated to providing Amazon with the resources it needs for successful operations in New York,” said Supervisor Romaine. “Brookhaven is prepared to offer a very aggressive benefits package as well as provide shuttle and Jitney service from LIRR to the proposed site, providing easy commutes for future employees and providers. I am confident we can fulfill all of Amazon’s needs.”
“While we have a lot to offer Amazon, they have much to offer us in terms of capital investment and jobs,” said Fred Braun, Chairman of the Brookhaven IDA. “We look forward to the direct and indirect economic impact to benefit local Brookhaven economy,” said Braun.
The site’s potential is further bolstered by 20 post-secondary and research institutions across Suffolk and Nassau Counties, offering more than 13,000 graduates with degrees in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Business. Calabro Airport is also located two miles from world-renowned Brookhaven National Laboratories (BNL) and 20 miles from Stony Brook University.
“BNL is the second largest Data Trove in the nation and the fourth largest in the world,” said David J. Manning, Director of the Stakeholder and Community Relations Office at BNL. “In partnership with the federal government, New York State is providing $15 million dollars to further expand our Big Data capabilities. We have also just attracted a national expert on machine learning. This kind of expertise would be invaluable to a firm like Amazon.”
In addition to commitments from Brookhaven officials and partners, there is overwhelming support to welcome Amazon, both from the regional community and Long Island as a whole. “Attracting Amazon to Long Island would spur extraordinary economic growth for our region and the Calabro Airport site is an intriguing opportunity for the new headquarters, and thus I commend Supervisor Romaine for his efforts and interest in using this property to lure Amazon here,” said Kevin Law, President and CEO of the Long Island Association.
Pictured left to right are Councilman Kevin LaValle, Councilwoman Jane Bonner, Councilman Dan Panico, superintendent of Highways Dan Losquadro, Councilman Michael Loguercio and Supervisor Ed Romaine.
For more information, visit Brookhaven IDA.