Avalon Rockville Centre to open in June

It has been a year since ground was broken at the AvalonBay construction site, at 80-100 Banks Ave., and in June tenants will begin moving into the much-discussed project at the former Darby Drugs Site.

Christopher Capece, development director for the real estate company, says he has high hopes for Avalon Rockville Centre. “We build quality communities,” Capece said. “And we want to build a legacy.”

The $120 million complex should attract two different demographics, Capece said. First, it will target young adults. Its location — within blocks of the Long Island Rail Road station — will draw younger tenants who commute to New York City, he said. And Capece added that the village is a vibrant community for them to live in as well, with plenty of businesses, restaurants and nightlife.

AvalonBay should also attract “empty nesters” who have residences elsewhere and are looking for another place to live on the South Shore, Capece said.

Situated on slightly more than seven acres of property, Avalon Rockville Centre will eventually comprise 349 units. Approximately 60 percent will be one-bedroom apartments, and the rest will be two-bedrooms. Building One, which is nearing completion, will have 210 units for the first group of tenants, and Building Two, which will have another 139, is expected to be finished in late 2012 — when, Capece said, he hopes to have 100 percent occupancy.

“It’s been a massive effort,” he said of the development. “And it’s been a good, interactive process working with Mayor [Mary] Bossart and [Village Administrator] Frank Quigley. I think at the end of the day, AvalonBay and the village will have a very special new community that we can both be proud of.”

Village officials had long fought development at the Banks Avenue site. A plan by Chase Partners LLC to develop a 349-unit luxury condominium complex, called Signature Place, resulted in years of litigation that ended in June 2009, when Rockville Centre agreed to pay Chase Partners $1.15 million.