East Northport Affordable Housing Community Could Break Ground In 2023

EAST NORTHPORT, NY — A planned 146-unit affordable housing unit in East Northport that has long and literally been in the weeds could soon see progress after decades of inaction.

The final funding for road repair and sidewalks was approved by Suffolk County, according to News 12 Long Island.

The 14-acre Matinecock Court, on the northwest corner of Pulaski and Elwood roads, was obtained by the local nonprofit Housing Help to build affordable housing. The nonprofit set out to develop the area 43 years ago — when Jimmy Carter was president of the United States.

Pilar Moya-Mancera, the executive director of Housing Help, agreed with Paul Solman of PBS that the space where the affordable housing will eventually be built has looked like "scrubland" for several decades.

The project price was estimated at $92 million, News 12 reported.

The development will be funded with a combination of New York state tax credits, bonds, low-interest loans through Suffolk County and private equity, according to the Matinecock Court website.

Housing Help hopes the groundbreaking for Matinecock Court will take place no later than March 2023. Moya-Mancera anticipates construction will take between 2-and-a-half to 3 years.

She called it the "end of the beginning" of the project.

"I'm extremely excited," Moya-Mancera told Patch. "I am very passionate about affordable housing. There are many, many emotions. Just the fact that, in my heart, I feel the groundbreaking ceremony of Matinecock Courtto me, symbolizes doing right the wrongs of the past. The breaking ground ceremony is going to be a new chapter, a new era of Huntington and housing."

When built, Matinecock Court will be a gated community with 17 two-story buildings housing 146 residential units, of which 18 are one-bedroom, 89 are two-bedroom, 38 are three-bedroom and a 2-bedroom unit for the superintendent. Six units are earmarked for residents with developmental disabilities as part of an agreement between the development and New York state. The development will also include a community building, parking and a sewage treatment plant.

"Throughout Matinecock Court’s long-standing history, our goal has always been to design and build a high-quality development that is cost-effective and provides safe housing that is economically accessible," Matinecock Court stated on its site.

Residents of Matinecock Court will be selected in a lottery system through a pool of applicants who qualify, according to the development's website. The qualifying process will involve a combination of independent and government agencies in addition to Housing Help Inc.

Eligible applicants are households with an annual income between $47,000 and $95,000. The process will include an asset and credit check, according to Matinecock Court.

The East Northport affordable housing units have long been debated.

Eric Alexander, of Vision Long Island, told News 12 that while Matinecock Court was "flawed in the beginning," but Long Island needs affordable housing.

Moya-Mancera said she has seen a shift in residents' views about affordable housing, with more people in favor of it now as opposed to years ago.

"I guess it has a lot to do with the fact the housing crisis really doesn't discriminate these days," Moya-Mancera said. "And now, it's really affecting everybody, regardless of race, ethnicity, or age. I guess we're finally reaching a point that it's time to change. The community has spoken loud and clear that they want this change to happen. My emotions are that I feel very hopeful for the future. I wish that this had happened before, but it's happening now. We just need to move forward from this point on."

Long Island's lack of affordable housing was the subject of a PBS News Hour segment on how the island has lagged behind other comparable areas in the United States on affordable housing units. The cost of housing has risen dramatically over the past few years, making it hard for young people to stay on Long Island, PBS News reported.

Moya-Mancera thanked her "tremendous team" — a group of less than 10 young people who want to be able to stay on Long Island — for putting their "heart and soul into affordable housing."

She also thanked former Housing Help Executive Director Susan Lagville for her efforts years ago.

On a more local level, the development got the go-ahead from the Town of Huntington in December 2021.

The Huntington Town Board voted 4-1 on the resolution which was proposed by Councilwoman Joan Cergol, Huntington Now reported. Other yes votes came from former councilman Mark Cuthbertson, then-Supervisor Chad Lupinacci and Councilman Eugene Cook. Then-Councilman Ed Smyth, now the town's supervisor, was the lone dissenting vote on the basis that he believes the units would really be rentals and not ownership, according to Huntington Now.

Peter Florey, the developer, shifted the arrangements to a limited equity plan, according to Huntington Now.

Some Town of Huntington residents who opposed the development gave reasons such as traffic complaints, overcrowding in schools, the effect on nearby homes, environmental issues, and challenges about who may move into the development, Huntington Now reported.

Reviews regarding traffic were approved by the Town of Huntington before the township approved the site plan, according to Matinecock Court. The development said that, generally, gated communities add value to the surrounding community in the long term.

The building design will comply with the town's stormwater management code, and the development was designed with a sewage treatment plant approved by Suffolk County, according to the project.