Gov. Cuomo Announces Airport Revitalization Plans

NEW YORK CITY—At a press conference staged at the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in Flushing, Queens with Vice President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined plans to modernize and revitalize LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International, Republic and Stewart International airports.

The governor announced master plan design competitions for LaGuardia and JFK to revitalize those two major airports and expansion of cargo facilities at Stewart International in Newburgh, NY.

"The number one job of government is to promote economic growth and prosperity, and one of the best ways to drive commerce is by investing in infrastructure that connects New York with local, national and international markets," Gov. Cuomo said at the event held on Monday. "This is more important for New York than ever before, which is why the state is ambitiously investing in roads, bridges and tunnels on a scale that we haven't seen in decades. Our airport modernization plan not only enhances how our individual airports look and act in the 21st Century—but addresses how they must fundamentally work together to strategically grow New York's economy."

The master plan design competition at LaGuardia will call on designers from across the globe to envision how LaGuardia Airport should look like in the future. The enhancements and design competition should include: improving transportation to the airport, including possible high-speed ferries and improved rail service; a redesigned airport layout to increase access, including a potential ferry terminal at the airport; state-of-the-art amenities to offer best-in-class customer service and diverse food and retail offerings; and more resilient infrastructure  to prepare the airport's facilities to meet increasing and extreme weather threats.

The master plan design competition will call on planners to redesign the entire John F. Kennedy International Airport. State officials say the designs should include: enhancing the transportation network, including that of the existing AirTrain, parking areas and the subway and LIRR; exploring the need to increase hotel capacity in the immediate area surrounding the airport; implementing state-of-the-art amenities such as dining and shopping options; and upgrading facilities to modernize the airport.

At Stewart International Airport, the governor says the state hopes to establish a regional cargo distribution hub at Stewart by growing its current cargo capacity, which will relieve JFK Airport of most cargo shipping facilities and create room to expand potential amenities and services for JFK Airport. To maximize and promote expanding distribution, the state will propose creating a tax-free START-UP NY Zone at Stewart Airport that allows companies to move back-office manufacturing into one, connected major distribution center. Under the program, companies creating jobs in START-UP Zones pay no taxes for 10 years.

The efforts at Stewart complement a $20-million Federal Inspection Facility to process international passengers, which is currently under construction and should be ready for operation by 2017.

Plans at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY include issuing a Request for Information to identify parties interested in serving as a new operator for Republic Airport. The Suffolk County-based airport currently has nearly 100 acres of available space, including hangar, office, restaurant and land vacancy. The state will also propose creating a tax-free START-UP NY Zone that will make available additional resources and incentives.

The Master Plan Design competitions for LaGuardia and JFK Airports will complement hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements by the Port Authority that are already underway. Beginning in 30 days, design firms will have 60 days to develop plans, which must include a project implementation timeline to ensure that work begins quickly and may utilize public/private sector partnerships to finance and run elements of the redesign. The existing RFP for LaGuardia Airport's Central Terminal will continue concurrent to the 90-day master plan and redesign process, and the winning design can be modified to fit the redesign, state officials say. The Port Authority Board of Commissioners will select the best three designs for each airport, and those finalists will each receive up to $500,000 to further develop their concept for consideration.