New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed a $200 million competition designed to revitalize upstate New York airports.
The Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition intends to “accelerate investments in commercial passenger and cargo service airports, creating thousands of well-paying jobs and promoting even more economic development upstate,” the governor’s office said.
Seventy-four upstate airports are eligible, ranging from small, general aviation airports to some of the region’s larger commercial airports.
The proposed competition comes on the heels of the state’s international airport design competition to transform and modernize LaGuardia (LGA) and John F. Kennedy International (JFK).
Under the latest proposal, New York will award five airports approximately $40 million each, according to the governor’s office. Grants will fund projects that enhance safety, improve operations and access, reduce environmental impact, and create better passenger experiences.
“The state will prioritize funding for proposals that create jobs, incorporate sustainable green building techniques, use renewable energy, demonstrate support from airlines and the community, leverage private investments and demonstrate cost effectiveness,” Cuomo said in his 2016 State of the State report.
Also in his State of the State report, Cuomo proposed a $6 million modernization and revitalization for Long Island MacArthur (ISP), Long Island’s busiest commercial airport with nearly 650,000 enplanements in 2014.
“The state will close a $6 million funding gap to support a $10 million project to convert an existing facility at MacArthur Airport into a United States Customs Federal Inspection Station,” the report said. “The Customs FIS facility will enable MacArthur to attract and accommodate international passenger flights from Europe and the Western Hemisphere and provide capacity to process international air travelers.”
Finally, Long Island’s Republic (FRG) will get a marketing boost under Cuomo’s plan. Designated as a tax-free site, the plan calls for efforts to attract new business opportunities, offering five sites to use for aviation or aviation-related commercial development activities, and a sixth as a new, 12.5-acre mixed-use development.
