October 7, 2019
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the completion Sandy Hollow Cove Apartments, a housing complex in the Town of Southampton, Suffolk County 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.
"Developments like the one at Sandy Hollow Cove help make it possible for working people to find affordable housing and raise their families," Governor 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."
"Everyone deserves the dignity of a good home, which is why we are committed to our statewide investment in affordable and supportive housing," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "The Sandy Hollow Cove Apartments will help to ensure working families in Southampton have affordable, high-quality housing options. This development is part of our unprecedented initiative to add and preserve affordable housing and strengthen the economy across the state."
Sandy Hollow Cove was designed to complement the rural aesthetic of Southampton and the historic, architectural and natural qualities of the surrounding area. 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. Twenty-five 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 Governor's commitment to providing all New Yorkers with access to safe, affordable housing is reflected in the State's unprecedented $20 billion, five-year Housing Plan. The plan makes housing accessible and combats homelessness by building or preserving more than 100,000 affordable homes and 6,000 with supportive services. 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.
Sandy Hollow Cove complements Speonk Commons Apartments, a 38-apartment development, that when completed, will consist of eight two-story buildings also in the Town of Southampton. It is in a mixed-use area of retail, dining and residential options, at 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.
The development team consists of Georgica Green Ventures LLC and the Town of Southampton Housing Authority 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.
Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "Sandy Hollow Cove Apartments offers 28 affordable, high-quality rental homes in the Town of Southampton. Too often, hardworking New Yorkers endure long commutes due to the high cost of housing in the areas where they work. Thanks to Governor Cuomo, we are building affordable housing near transit and job centers across the state and by doing so, building more inclusive communities. Congratulations to our partners on the completion of this beautiful new development."
Senator Ken LaValle said, "Workforce housing has been a priority of Assemblyman Thiele and I, and the Sandy Cove Apartments will provide that critically important need in the community."
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said, "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."
Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming said, "A healthy economy requires housing that is affordable for our 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. I'm grateful to Governor Cuomo, and New York State Homes and Community Renewal for their important support. I'm proud that Suffolk County's Affordable Housing Opportunities Program continues to assist local governments and private developers in meeting these challenges. We have a long way to go but our goals are clear. I applaud the persistent efforts by Southampton authorities and Georgica Green Ventures for getting this job done. I thank County Executive Steve Bellone and his Economic Development staff, and my colleagues on the Legislature for their continued commitment to solving our region's toughest problems, and I'm happy to have lent my support."
Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said, "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., said, "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. We also look forward to welcoming tenants at the soon-to-be-completed Speonk Commons. We thank David Gallo and the Georgica Green staff for their never-ending focus to accomplish what many believed could never happen. Special appreciation to New York State Homes and Community Renewal, the office of the Attorney General, Suffolk County, TD Bank, Raymond James and every single person who worked so diligently to help this historic project become reality."
CPC Vice President and Mortgage Officer Glenn Lunde said, "Quality affordable housing can bring stability to tenants struggling to make ends meet and help anchor the long-term health and vitality of communities. I'm proud that CPC could be part of the collaborative effort that made Southampton's first affordable development a reality. My thanks to Georgica Green Ventures, Homes and Community Renewal, Suffolk County and the Town of Southampton, and all our partners who are committed to preserving the affordability of neighborhoods."
Georgica Green Ventures President David Gallo said, "We are extremely exciting to announce the completion of Sandy Hollow Cove Apartments! Together, with neighboring 38-unit Speonk Commons, these developments are the first affordable multi-family rental housing units approved in the Town of Southampton. We thank our partner, the Southampton Housing Authority as well as the local community and Town Board for their support and continued assistance in seeing this much needed housing development come to fruition."