County Approves Funding For Speonk Commons Affordable Housing Project

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Two affordable rental projects in Southampton Town are one step closer to becoming reality.

On Tuesday, the Suffolk County Legislature approved two resolutions under the Suffolk County Affordable Housing Opportunities Program authorizing $2.15 million for land acquisition that will open the door for two affordable housing projects in Southampton Town — Sandy Hollow Cove Apartments and Speonk Commons.

The two projects represent the first two developments that will create affordable rentals townwide, a release said.

“The East End has a critical need for affordable housing to maintain both our economy and our local community,” Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming said. “The sites, which are in transit-oriented locations, further the goal of reducing traffic and supporting the workforce that drives our tourist economy. In light of our community’s desperate need for affordable housing, the hard work by the town, the county, and the developers on these two projects has created a framework that I hope will encourage similar projects in the future.”

“This is exactly the right type of investment we need to make to lure young professionals to the East End and make Suffolk County a more affordable place to live and work,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

The Sandy Hollow project will be sited on County Road 52, a short distance from County Road 39, and the Speonk project will be directly adjacent to the Speonk train station.

The Sandy Hollow project will include three two-story buildings and 28 rental units, with 14 studios, 12 one-bedrooms and 2 two-bedroom apartments, available to residents earning between 50 percent and 90 percent of average median income.

The Speonk project will consist of six two-story buildings and 38 rental units. The unit mix will consist of 12 studios, 14 one-bedrooms and 12 two-bedroom apartments, available to residents earning between 50 percent and 90 percent of the average median income, and one manager’s apartment. One building will have a community room and laundry on the ground floor.

“The significant financial commitment by Suffolk County is critical to delivering these apartments at an affordable price,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.

David Gallo, president of Georgica Green Ventures, LLC, thanked Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Legislator Bridget Fleming and all members of Legislature for their commitment to delivering critically needed workforce housing in Southampton.

The approval will allow the projects to stay on schedule for completion within the next 16 to 18 months.

In May, after years of debate, one failed proposal, and a change in owners, Speonk Commons, got the green light from the town board to move forward.

The Southampton town board voted unanimously in May to authorize the change of zone application that opened the door for the development of the project, which calls for the creation of 38 units of affordable apartments at 41 North Phillips Avenue in Speonk.

The change of zoning will allow for the multi-family residential designation. Developer Georgica Green Ventures teamed up with the Southampton Town Housing Authority to work toward creation of workforce housing in the hamlet.

The vote came after a number of contentious meetings between the community and the developer — some consensus was reach after the developer reduced the number of units and changed the design, the town said.

Not only did the property have a change of owners, but there was a sea of opposition in recent years from residents concerned about density in their sleepy hamlet.

In July, 2016, wearing buttons that said "No Zone Changing", a crowd of concerned residents turned out for a Southampton Town board work session for a presentation on the proposed project in Speonk they said could bring an excess of density.

And while residents who spoke said they fully supported the concept of affordable housing, the project as pitched was too much for the quiet street proposed, at the previous number of apartments pitched, residents maintained.

The plan involves a parcel located at 41 North Phillips Avenue in Speonk, the site of a dilapidated, faded blue building, once majestic, that's long stood in disrepair, an eyesore on the blighted property.

For years, developer Jay Kopf had proposed a plan that called for 68 units on the 4.28 acre parcel, but those plans ultimately fell through.

Next, the Jericho-based Georgica Green Ventures, LLC came before the town with a workforce housing plan that required the zone change.

Gallo has long said the project is aimed at addressing the "deficit" of workforce housing in Southampton.
The zone change would not require any variances or special exceptions, he has said.

Currently the parcel is split zoned, with a village business zoning designation along 1.45 acres along the streetfront, and the 2.83 acres on the back of the parcel zoned R20, or residential.

At present, seven buildings sit on the land, he said, including the crumbling blue building so well known in Speonk.

The hope, Gallo said, has been to convert a portion of the village business, and all of the residential zoning, to MF44, or multi-family, and create affordable housing units on the land.

The businesses would have apartments above; the first building would have apartments above and a not-for-profit agency community room.

The housing mix would include studios, one-bedroom units, and two-bedroom units, he said.

The studios would range from a minimum of 450 to a maximum of 550 square feet, the one bedrooms would range from 660 to 725 square feet, and the two bedrooms would run from 750 to 950 square feet; none would be "overly generous," he said.

All of the units, he said, would be rentals. A property manager would be on-site, he said.

Last July, Schneiderman asked about rents. Gallo said studios would range from $930 to $1434; one-bedrooms from $1,000 to $1,500, and two bedrooms from $1,195 to $1,1750.

The income range would run from $37,000 to $86,000, with $86,000 the income for a family of four, restricted to 90 percent of the area median income.

The goal, Gallo said, would be to provide housing for the area's teachers, nurses, firefighters, Town Hall and hospital employees, and other young professionals who cannot afford to live in Southampton Town. All would be carefully vetted, with six months of banking information, pay stubs, personal references and other criteria required, Gallo said.

The residential mix would be similar to the Sandy Hollow project in Tuckahoe, a project also spearheaded by Georgica Green that received county funding this week, Gallo said.

The board asked for a yield analysis between what could be developed on the land as of right, compared to the what the project proposes.

Gallo said as of right, five, six-bedroom single family homes could be built, and that number could go up to seven if the units were affordable — as well as apartments above the businesses fronting North Phillips; the units may not be owner occupied and well cared for, he said, and there would have been no manager on-site, as there will be now.

Schneiderman asked if there was such a thing as an "affordable" six-bedroom house "in the Hamptons."

A lengthy discussion was held in July on the proposed sewage treatment plant; as soon as the first alternative wastewater treatment system is approved, Gallo said, the best system possible would be given the green light, "whatever the best technology is."

As for design, Gallo said the hope would be to incorporate the turret design from the dilapidated old home on the parcel into the new structures.

Schneiderman brought up traffic woes on a street already hit hard by congestion once the guard rails go down for Long Island Rail Road trains to the north of the parcel.

Lofstad said in July she'd had a sea of more than 150 emails from concerned residents, "almost entirely opposed to the project."

Schneiderman said he had received a total of 191 such emails before the meeting, then told residents they could voice their thoughts.

Joyce Duck, longtime Eastport resident, was livid at the July, 2016 meeting. "I find it hard to believe in this quaint area we are exposed to a zoning change that could mean the deterioration and destruction of our community. This is not progress, and it only fills a few people's pockets."

She added that the roads, school system and local community could near handle the influx of people, stating that she opposed the project.

Speonk resident Craig Catalanotto, a founder of the Remsenburg Eastport Speonk Communities United, or RESCU, group, said, "We are not opposed to affordable housing. Our issue here is density."

With other projects on the horizon nearby slated to bring 70 homes in the small, bucolic area, known for its tree-lined streets and quiet, residents say density concerns are escalating, and traffic on North Phillips is already a concern. "Our goal is to find an equitable solution," he said.

The once-grand blue building, known to some as the "Castle," has a rich history. Originally a "cottage" owned by the Fordham family, the building was later know as the Kropp house.

Patch courtesy photo.