Dogwood Terrace residents raise concerns over plans to rebuild senior housing complex

As developers await approvals to rebuild Hempstead Town's Dogwood Terrace senior housing complex, more than 50 residents at a meeting last week voiced concerns that they could be displaced indefinitely. 

At the complex's community center in Franklin Square last Friday, nearly 60 residents asked the developer and the Town of Hempstead Housing Authority officials to give them written guarantees that they will be able to return once the apartments are rebuilt and that their rents will not increase. 

The 104-unit complex serves low-income seniors and those who are disabled. 

“You’re still going to pay 30% of your income toward rent; that’s not going to change,” said David Gallo, president of Jericho-based Georgica Green Ventures, the developer that plans to demolish current units and build new ones.

“You can tell me anything you want — we want it in writing,“ said John Heaphy, 80, at the meeting with Gallo and the housing authority’s outside attorney, Miriam Milgrom of Garden City-based Berkman, Henoch, Peterson & Peddy P.C. Heaphy has lived at the complex for four years.

The complex has 87 residents and is federally funded, said town spokesman Casey Sammon. Since January, the developer and housing authority have held eight meetings with residents, Sammon said. 

Gallo said Friday the project will cost an estimated $65 million and would take two years to complete. During that time residents will be relocated but it's unclear where they will go. 

The renovated buildings will still have 104 units but will be four stories high instead of two and have elevators. Studio apartments will be replaced with one-bedrooms, Gallo said, adding construction could begin in the summer if all the financing is secured. 

Gallo and Milgrom told residents the project would be financed through a mix of funds from county and state sources, including housing tax credits from the state.

Gallo said the project requires approvals from state and federal agencies to move forward. He said he expects to learn in March whether the state will award tax credits. 

Meanwhile, residents said they are dealing with uncertainty after they received a letter from the housing authority.

A Nov. 15 letter from the agency told residents, "You may be displaced as result of this project" and that they may be eligible for relocation assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development but they would need to apply for assistance. 

The letter also states, "This is not a notice to vacate the premises" and "This is not a notice of relocation eligibility." 

The letter also noted that if residents are evicted or move before receiving a "formal notice of relocation eligibility" they won't be eligible for relocation assistance.

One resident said Friday, “You really need to be a lawyer to decipher this.” 

Gallo said it was premature to start the relocation process since the financing isn't finalized.

“There’s really no point in doing the relocation meetings just yet,” Gallo said. 

"We have a relocation team and we'll be developing a program; we'll be developing choices within the housing authority units," Milgrom said following Friday's meeting. "We're responsible for making sure that they're not going to be paying more than what they're paying now. That's something that the project has to absorb." 

Georgica Green has other facilities that could be used for relocation, Milgrom said. 

One resident was concerned about the loss of community when residents would be relocated. 

“We want to be guaranteed,” Heaphy said. “We’ve got to have peace of mind, and I don’t think we’re getting it.”

Gallo said he would look into providing contingent guarantees in writing for residents.

Edward Cumming, the town's housing authority executive director, said in a statement, “This redevelopment will greatly improve the quality of life enjoyed by residents at the complex, and the Housing Authority will continue to move forward with the best interests of the residents as a priority.”