New York officials broke ground on the second phase of the major mixed-use Ronkonkoma Hub development in the town of Brookhaven on Wednesday. The development will include 1,400 homes, as well as hundreds of thousands of square feet in retail, office and hospitality space.
The Ronkonkoma Hub already features a 500-unit apartment community completed in March 2020. The second phase will create about 400 more housing units, parking and commercial space.
Steve Bellone, the Suffolk County Executive, said this hub is exactly what the county needs to help retain and attract young people.
“This project really is an innovation and transportation hub for Long Island,” Bellone said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said this next phase furthers the state's commitment to transit-oriented development on Long Island.
“It’s going to be a major investment, it creates jobs. I love the jobs that are being created, the construction jobs, but also the permanent jobs,” Hochul said.
The overall project will support 10,000 construction jobs and 2,500 permanent jobs.
The development was envisioned to transform an empty area into a destination steps away from the Long Island Railroad station and minutes away from MacArthur Airport.
“It’s going to give people the dignity of beautiful homes in a place that’s accessible to other amenities and entertainment,” Hochul said.
Phase two is anticipated to be completed by 2024.
