County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. today announced that Oneida County has formally issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (REI) to develop Building 101 at Griffiss International Airport into the The Runway — a multipurpose indoor sports, recreation and tourism complex.
“Building 101 represents one of the most extraordinary redevelopment opportunities anywhere in the Northeast,” Picente said. “With more than 400,000 square feet of column-free space, this project has the potential to redefine Griffiss as a premier sports tourism destination, generate year-round economic activity and build on the tremendous momentum we’ve already created with facilities like the Nexus Center and Murnane Field.”
The REI invites experienced development and operating teams to submit concepts for transforming the former U.S. Air Force hangar into what is envisioned as the largest indoor multi-sport complex in New York State and the second largest of its kind in the nation.
Located within the Griffiss Business & Technology Park in the City of Rome, the county-owned Building 101 offers unmatched scale and flexibility for adaptive reuse. In his 2025 State of the County Address, Picente identified the site as a transformative opportunity to capitalize on the rapid growth of sports-based tourism, youth and amateur tournaments, wellness programming and emerging recreation trends.
