New Affordable Housing Complex Unveiled In Hamptons

SOUTHAMPTON, NY —It was a joyful day in Southampton as elected officials gathered this week to cut the ribbon on a brand-new affordable housing complex in Southampton.

Residents have long cried out in regard to the need across the entire East End for workforce housing as young people and volunteers have found themselves priced out of their hometowns.

But hope is on the horizon: This week, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the completion of Sandy Hollow Cove Apartments, a Southampton housing complex that provides 28 affordable homes for working families.

The development is located close to a new local bus stop and the Long Island Railroad Southampton station, as well as hospital, bank, library, pharmacy and grocery options and the Tuckahoe School, he said.

(Southampton Town)

"Developments like the one at Sandy Hollow Cove help make it possible for working people to find affordable housing and raise their families," Cuomo said. "These targeted investments in Long Island will continue to provide new safe and affordable housing opportunities for residents while strengthening the surrounding communities and encouraging long-term economic growth."

Sandy Hollow Cove was designed to complement the rural aesthetic of Southampton and the historic, architectural and natural qualities of the surrounding area, Cuomo's office said in a release.

The complex was built on a vacant, 2.6-acre site formerly used for gravel and sand mining and extraction. The development consists of three two-story buildings with a mix of 28 studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Three apartments are fully accessible and adapted for people with impaired mobility and two apartments are accessible and adapted for people with impaired hearing or vision. A total of 25 apartments are affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the area median income and three apartments are affordable to households earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income, the release added.

New York State's $20 billion, five-year housing plan makes housing accessible and combats homelessness by building or preserving more than 100,000 affordable homes and 6,000 with supportive services, Cuomo said. The plan is a comprehensive approach to statewide housing issues and includes multifamily and single-family housing and community development. Since 2011, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has invested $181 million in Suffolk County that has created or preserved housing for nearly 5,200 people, he added.

Sandy Hollow Cove complements Speonk Commons Apartments, a 38-apartment development, that when completed, will consist of eight two-story buildings in Speonk near the Long Island Railroad's Speonk station.

Both Sandy Hollow Cove Apartments and Speonk Commons meet the energy efficiency requirements of 2015 Enterprise Green Communities and ENERGY STAR Certified Homes, Cuomo said..

The development team consists of Georgica Green Ventures LLC and the Southampton Town Housing Authority acting as co-developers; DeLacour, Ferrara, & Church, P.C., architect; Jobco, Inc., general contractor; and the Town of Southampton Housing Authority, property manager.

State financing for Sandy Hollow Cove Apartments includes federal and state low income housing tax credits and subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Additional financing was provided by Suffolk County, the Community Preservation Corporation, the Southampton Housing Authority and Morgan Stanley Settlement funds negotiated by the New York State Attorney General's office, Cuomo said.

New York State Senator Ken LaValle said workforce housing has been a priority for both him and New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele; and the Sandy Cove Apartments will meet a "critically important need in the community."

"The need for affordable housing exists everywhere on Long Island and that includes the East End. Today, we took a step forward in ensuring life is more affordable for our residents as we cut the ribbon on a major housing project that helps make our region more competitive, more accessible and more desirable for young people," said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming said a healthy economy requires housing that is affordable for the local working-age population.

"This project will allow 28 households to work, commute, and live in our town, close to school, shopping, and transportation options, while featuring architectural elements that integrate into our rural community. . .We have a long way to go but our goals are clear," said Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming.

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman lauded the project. "High housing costs have taken a toll on our sense of community by displacing the very people we need to keep the community running, like teachers, nurses and first responders. The completion of Sandy Hollow and soon, Speonk Commons, brings a welcome opportunity for many people to be able to afford to live where they work on the East End."

Southampton Housing Authority Executive Director Curtis E. Highsmith, Jr., was jubilant. "On behalf of the Housing Authority and our Board of Commissioners, words cannot fully express the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude we have from the completion of this community-changing project. A journey that began as we proposed Sandy Hollow Cove, to planning and developing, and now leasing-up each unit. To be front stage and witness the tears of joy from new tenants signing leases and being given keys to their new home has truly made the journey rewarding."