Procedural Issue Delays Vote on Downtown Development

Nassau County's Industrial Development Agency is still expected to OK a $28 million project that will help to build a mixed-use development project in downtown Farmingdale, officials said.

The final vote was expected to come Thursday night at a regular meeting of the IDA, but was delayed unexpectedly. Sources said the delay was procedural in nature and not because of any deficiencies in the project's application.

If the IDA ultimately approves the project, the developers of Bartone Plaza would make $166,000 of payments in lieu of taxes in the first year, with the amounts increasing to about $1.4 million in the 20th year, for the first phase, Newsday reported Thursday.

The IDA's executive director, Joseph J. Kearney, told Newsday the delay on the decision was "simply ministerial."

Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand told Patch Friday that he fully expects the application to be approved at the IDA's April 25 meeting.

"There is nothing wrong with his application and we expect it will be approved formally at the April 25 meeting," Ekstrand said.

Developer Anthony Bartone of Farmingdale and his partners plan to develop more than 100 apartments and some 13,000-square feet of retail space in sight of the Farmingdale LIRR station, two blocks east of downtown Farmingdale.

County Executive Edward Mangano's office postponed a morning news conference at the site Friday meant to formally announce the deal. The entire complex is expected to create 178 construction jobs and 55 permanent jobs, Bartone told Newsday.