By:Andrew Coen
On Dec. 8, officials from Nassau County, the Town of Hempstead and the Long Island Housing Partnership gathered at an empty county-owned lot on Harris Avenue in Inwood, next to Route 878, to announce plans for eight lower-cost homes to be constructed on the site, across from the Number Four School. A two-family affordable home is also slated to be built on the Inwood side of Lawrence Avenue, according to county officials. The Nassau County Legislature unanimously approved the project on Dec. 6.
"It would be the biggest dream I ever had to own my own home," said Robinson, who plans to be one of the applicants. "I would love to live in a nice home before I get too old."
The project calls for the Long Island Housing Partnership to construct four two-family townhouses at the Harris Avenue site as well as the two-family home on Lawrence Avenue. The Harris Avenue parcel measures 22,230 square feet and is zoned as Residential B.
The cost of constructing each unit will be about $145,836, according to county officials, who added that the project will benefit from a $30,000 subsidy from Federal Home Grant and a $25,000 subsidy from New York State Affordable Housing. The homes will be sold to families earning no more than 80 percent of the area's median income of $68,250, county officials said. The homes will each be sold for roughly $150,000, officials added. The new homeowners will be selected in a lottery, with Inwood residents getting first priority.
"We are standing on the site of what will soon be the realization of the American dream for several Inwood residents - home ownership," said Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside), who played a large role in getting the project approved by the Legislature. "I am proud to have been a part of this project, and eagerly look forward to the day that the beautiful homes are built and ready for occupancy."
The county plans to offer a deferred-payment plan to prospective applicants who meet specific guidelines through the Home Down Payment Assistance Program. County officials also said that the prospective applicants would receive mortgage counseling from the Long Island Housing Partnership and the Nassau County Office of Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who said he has made providing affordable housing one of his chief goals, credited Toback for his persistence in helping to get the project approved at the Inwood site. "He's been bugging me about this since the first day I became county executive," Suozzi joked.
The Long Island Housing Partnership worked with county and town officials to see that the project became a reality, with Inwood residents Annette Jones and Rose Harris serving on one of the organization's sub-committees. "There are a lot of young people moving out because they can't afford the housing," said Jones, who has lived in Inwood for 40 years.
"We spend a lot of money educating our children, yet when they complete their education, they can't come back to the community they grew up in," said Harris, who serves on the District 15 school board.
Harris said that she and other District 15 officials welcome the project, since it will increase enrollment in the Lawrence schools. Public-school attendance has dropped in recent years because more parents are sending their children to private and parochial schools.
Inwood resident Frank Mari, who works for the Inwood Senior Center, supports the project, and applauded the bipartisan cooperation between Suozzi, a Democrat, and Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, a Republican, for making it happen. "I'm happy to see Tom Suozzi and Kate Murray going along with the housing development for the community," said Mari. "The cooperation between Suozzi and Murray is how we get things done."
Inwood Civic Association members Elisa Hinken and Ruth Tai, who also attended the press conference, voiced opposition to the proposed housing because of its proximity to the Number Four School, the area's lack of parking and the increased traffic congestion on Route 878. "We are against it for many reasons, but mainly because we already have enough low-income housing in Inwood as it is," said Tai, chairwoman of the association and a 52-year Inwood resident.
Tai and Hinken said they are not opposed to the proposed two-family home on Lawrence Avenue, since the property was previously developed.
Village of Atlantic Beach Mayor Stephen Mahler also expressed concern over the possible increased traffic on Route 878, which serves as the main evacuation route for his village. "To further congest there, I think, runs counter to everything that is reasonable," said Mahler. "I think there are many, many more suitable locations [for the housing]."
County officials said they hope to break ground on the project in about a year. The homes need variances for minor setback requirements to be issued by the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals before construction can begin, according to the county.
For further information about the affordable-housing project in Inwood or to apply for one of the homes, call the Long Island Housing Partnership at (631) 435-4710.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
