Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Village of Freeport held the first of three meetings on Feb. 26 to decide what to do with the dilapidated, three-acre National Guard Armory property on Babylon Turnpike that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed over to the village in December.
The structure has been mostly vacant for nearly a decade, but community groups and government agencies have held events there during that time.
In 2016, the village proposed moving the Department of Public Works yard to the property. The DPW, on the south end of Albany Avenue, next to a canal leading to Jones Inlet, was devastated during Hurricane Sandy, according to Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy. Nearby residents, however, objected to the plan.
The mayor said the village had no immediate plan to move the DPW there, and he and the village board of trustees are weighing local opposition to the move in their decision-making. But they did not rule out the plan.
“There is no concern of DPW being there at this point,” Kennedy said. “We’ve seen that people want a community space there.”
Ideally, Kennedy said, the village would convert the property to a junior sports complex and day care center with community meeting rooms.
Lloyd Abrams, a 50-year Freeport resident, said he preferred less development, and proposed that the property become a park. He opposed the idea of a sports complex, saying he did not want one like those at Eisenhower Park.
Lori Pearson said the addition of gardens and trees to the property could create a scenic space in the village, and she pushed for an arts and cultural center there.
Ellen Kelly, president of the Freeport Historical Society and Museum, agreed with the idea of creating an exhibition space. “We can have space for exhibits that celebrate the history of this community,” she said.
Bishop Frank A. White, of the Zion Cathedral, said that village officials must include local organizations in discussions on what to do with the property. White, whose church is adjacent to the property, said the armory means a great deal to the community.
Mary Moore, of the Freeport Church of God, said residents hope that the property brings positive change to the area, and that it is in keeping with the character of the surrounding neighborhood, noting that a DPW facility would not be.
“We need to focus on what the community needs,” Moore said. “What happens here will affect the local neighborhood, the Village of Freeport and the surrounding communities.”
Some residents said they hoped the village would sell the property to the Cedarmore Corporation, a nonprofit across the street from the armory that had tried in the past to buy it. Village officials, though, said that would not happen.
The bill Cuomo signed transferring the property to Freeport stipulated that the armory could be used only for government purposes, Village Attorney Howard Colton said.
The next public meeting on the property was scheduled for Thursday, at 6 p.m., on the second floor of Village Hall. Freeport is awaiting the results of its second environmental study of the property. Officials said that the first study was broad, and found only small amounts of asbestos in the two buildings. The second study will go into greater depth, telling village officials what they can and cannot do with the property.
After the three public meetings and the second environmental study, Kennedy said, the village will decide how to proceed with the property.
“We need to incorporate as many ideas as possible while being fiscally responsible,” Trustee Christopher Squeri said. “We’ve been given a great opportunity to do something for our village.”
