Educational Nonprofit Signs Lease to Build Campus on Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field
By Mark Hallum September 29, 2026 4:03 pm
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The National Park Service has leased a 7-acre space in Brooklyn’s Marine Park neighborhood to a workforce development nonprofit.
Runway Green signed a 60-year agreement with the federal government to build a $60 million agricultural and environmental education facility at Floyd Bennett Field, according to the organization. The former airfield near Jamaica Bay is within Gateway National Recreation Area, which the Park Service oversees.
The first phase of the project will break ground next year when 3 acres will be dedicated to urban farming in partnership with the Campaign Against Hunger.
“This lease turns a bold vision into a public commitment to New York City’s young people,” Geoff Roehm, founder and executive director of Runway Green, said in a statement. “At Floyd Bennett Field, we will build an educational ecosystem where schools, employers, nonprofits, colleges and public agencies work together to create learning experiences no single institution could provide on its own.”
Runway Green has already raised $9.3 million toward its $60 million budget from a mix of government sources, such as $1 million from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, $3.3 million from the New York City Council and funding from the federal government.
Once completed, Runway Green’s facility will serve up to 50,000 New York City public school students per year, according to the organization.
“Runway Green will equip New York City students with the skills and experiences they need to succeed while making one of Brooklyn’s great public assets more accessible, engaging and meaningful to the communities it serves,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said in a statement.
Located on Barren Island on the shores of Jamaica Bay, Floyd Bennett Field served as New York City’s first airport in the 1920s and 1930s before being used as a naval air station during World War II.
Other partners in the ensuing phases of the facility’s development include the City University of New York, NYC Outward Bound Schools, Solar One, New York Sun Works, Billion Oyster Project and the Urban Assembly.
Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.
