Proposed $35M Hauppauge project adds community sports facility

A plan to build a new $35 million warehouse in Hauppauge has added a youth sports component to be donated to the community. 

The developers, a partnership of Roslyn-based Barone Management and The Kulka Group in Hauppauge, first pitched a project that would bring a 138,150-square-foot warehouse building to a 10-acre vacant lot at 471 Blydenburgh Road located across from the Town of Islip Recycling Center and landfill. 

The developers had a public hearing with the Islip Planning Board on the original proposal in March 2023. But after feedback from the community and town officials, the plan has gone through a number of revisions, the most significant being the creation of a 16,875-square-foot sports facility in a portion of the building, leaving 121,275 square feet for use as a warehouse. 

Dubbed the Hauppauge Sports Lab, the $5 million facility would include a 150-foot by 50-foot indoor turf field that can be used for soccer, lacrosse and other sports. It will also feature baseball and softball batting cages and a full basketball court that can be converted for volleyball and pickleball. The Sports Lab would have a concession stand, viewing area, restrooms and about 50 parking spaces and its entrance would be at the southwest corner of the building. 

Developers plan to donate the sports facility to local youth sports groups that would operate it to help meet a demand for an indoor facility from the area’s families. 

Rob Mannino, a principal and COO at The Kulka Group, said the proposed Sports Lab would be a significant benefit. 

“I live in Hauppauge and have three boys in youth sports and I know this is a massive need for the community,” he said. “We struggle to get indoor space every year. By donating this $5 million facility to the community and to the local youth sports organizations, it will fulfill a huge need to help develop young athletes in the area.” 

As for the balance of the $35 million project, developer Scott Barone of Barone Management said the warehouse will be a Class-A building, with 36-foot clear ceilings and 14 loading docks. 

“We didn’t skimp on design and we’re not going to skimp on the quality of construction,” he said. “Our goal would be to have a single tenant, however we could divide it to accommodate up to three tenants.” 

This isn’t the first development that’s been pitched for the Hauppauge property. Farmingdale-based Posillico, which currently owns the site, had proposed to build a 100,000-square-foot warehouse, an 80,000-square-foot self-storage facility and a 160-foot-tall wireless communications tower on the property. But the plan was scrapped after it was met with stiff community opposition. 

The new development team, which is in contract to purchase the site, is requesting a change of zone for the property from residential to light industrial. The new plan for the combination warehouse and sports facility designed by Melville-based Frank G. Relf Architect, will soon be submitted to the town’s Department of Planning and Development. 

The developers are hoping to secure all approvals and begin construction by the end of the year. The Hauppauge project is expected to take from 12 to 18 months to complete.