Huntington Station – The Huntington
Town Board, serving in their capacity as Board Members of the Huntington
Community Development Agency (CDA), were joined by CDA Director Leah M.
Jefferson; Barry Lipsky, President of Lipsky Construction; Assemblyman Steve
Stern and members of local veterans groups for a groundbreaking ceremony at the
future site of Columbia Terrace, the 14-unit veterans affordable housing
condominium complex, at the corner of Lowndes Avenue and Railroad Street in
Huntington Station on Tuesday, October 30.
"Huntington Station has been
waiting decades for neighborhood and economic revitalization, which is now
beginning to mobilize, from the economic investment along New York Avenue, to
the progress on the Conte Center, where we plan to build our second spray park,
and the beautification project recently unveiled under the train trestle just
blocks away from where we stand," said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci.
"Our veterans and their families make many sacrifices to keep us safe,
when they come home, we owe them the opportunity to have the stability owning a
home can provide and it is an honor to have a team in place that was able to
achieve this progress on veterans housing in 2018."
Councilman Mark Cuthbertson stated:
“I am proud to have been a part of bringing the Columbia Terrace Veterans
Housing Development to fruition. I am gratified to know that by Veteran’s Day
2019, military veterans will have a home in Huntington Station in these soon to
be constructed, brand new affordable condominiums.”
“The groundbreaking for the Columbia
Terrace veterans’ housing development was a long time coming, with a lot of
twists and turns and obstacles to overcome,” said Councilwoman Joan Cergol. “I
am thrilled that we finally reached this milestone, and I am honored to have
played a role in helping create some much-needed and most-deserved affordable
housing for our veterans.”
Councilman Ed Smyth stated: “It was
an honor to participate in the groundbreaking of Columbia Terrace. I am proud
to serve and live in a town where we will provide affordable housing to our
local veterans.”
“This
project has been ten years in the making, and the Community Development Agency
is ecstatic that Columbia Terrace is finally being built. I would like to thank all
of our partners on the state, county and local levels for their financial
support in bringing these condominiums to fruition. Veterans deserve affordable
housing, and it is our pleasure to make it possible here in the Town of
Huntington. I look forward to celebrating the grand opening of these units next
Fall,” said CDA Director Leah M. Jefferson.
The original agreement for the
development of Columbia Terrace was signed with Suffolk County in 2010. The new
CDA Director, appointed January 2018, was able to secure a winning bid within
budget, signing a contract on September 21, 2018, with Lipsky Construction, who
came in as the lowest competitive bidder at the June 22, 2018, bid opening.
In 2010, the CDA was awarded a $1.56
million Empire State Development grant to build the project. The grant was set
to expire but it was approved for an extension on August 7, 2018, and now
expires December 31, 2019. The project will be paid for with the grant funding
and $2 million dollars borrowed from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which will
be paid back to the Trust Fund upon the sale of the units.
The makeup of the units will be 6
one-bedroom and 8 two-bedroom units, offered at 80% of the Nassau-Suffolk
median income, estimated to be priced at $219,000 for the 2 bedroom units and
$200,000 for the 1-bedroom units.
A lottery will be held close to the
time of construction completion, which is expected to take approximately 300
days. Once all applications have been reviewed for eligibility, units are
expected to be sold and occupied by September 2019.
In accordance with the Town Code,
all units will remain affordable in perpetuity.
In the photo (l-r): Groundbreaking
for Columbia Terrace Veterans Affordable Housing project.
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