By ANTHONY BOTTAN
It is located on the property of the old Salvation Army Wayside Home School for Girls.
Sandi Gerson, a senior real estate specialist for Century 21, noted that Dutch Gate will be slated for senior housing -- for residents 62 years and older. One of the buildings is already complete, she said, and the complex will be a gated community. "Dutch Gate are condos," Gerson said. "You own your unit, and have to pay for the upkeep, utilities and taxes." Gerson explained that Dutch Gate apartments are not co-ops. If they were, she said, residents would only have to pay a monthly maintenance fee that included utilities and taxes.
Though Gerson is not affiliated with the developers of Dutch Gate, she said the complex will have 388 units. They will be two levels, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. Sales will begin in January 2009, and residents who live within School District 13 will be given first preference, she said. Gerson said that in every community, senior housing gives preference to those who live in the school district. After that, condos will be open for sale to any senior over 62 who lives in the Town of Hempstead. Gerson noted that those who are interested, who live outside of District 13, should fill out an application with the town's Senior Housing Department.
Gerson's partner, Connie Milano, said the price for a condo in Dutch Gate has not been finalized, but heard it will cost between $270,000 and $290,000. The condos, she said, will have 900 square feet of living space. That is about 50 square feet more than in an average home, Gerson said, which contains a living room, dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms and one bath. "How much space do you really need?" Milano asked. "Keep that in mind, they are small because they have to be cost effective."
Milano added that the developers have been compiling a list of potential buyers for the last three years, but said that "chances are they won't sell out." Kay and Tom Houston, who have lived in the village for 36 years, said they were looking for a new place for Tom's brother, who is more than 65 years old. "I want to keep my eyes on all the options, but this seems a little expensive," Houston said. Houston, 62, said the only way he would move out of his home, was if he found something better in the village.
Gloria Capo, who is in her 80s, said that Dutch Gate was too expensive for her taste and would rather be in a place like Monica Village -- an assisted living facility. "I want to be in a place where they bring me my food," she said. "I'm trying to sell my house, and I don't want another one." Her friend, Lucille Leo, said that if she were to sell her house, Dutch Gate would be the place she’d want to go. "I would leave for something like that," Leo said of the Dutch Gate condos. "It just sounds really comfortable."
The developers, Broadval LLC, could not be reached for comment.
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