Ronkonkoma Hub's first residents moving in Saturday

The first residents are scheduled to move into the Alston... — The first residents are scheduled to move into the Alston at the Ronkonkoma Hub on Saturday. Credit: Yellow House Images / Andrew Theodorakis

By Daysi Calavia-Robertsondaysi.calavia-robertson@newsday.comMay 31, 2019

The first residents of a $750-million project known as the Ronkonkoma Hub — a 53-acre, mixed-use development that includes apartments, stores, restaurants and offices — are set to move in on Saturday.

They will be tenants at the Alston, the first of six residential buildings in the first phase of the development, said a spokesman for East Setauket-based Tritec Real Estate, developer of the Hub, now officially named "Station Square."

The Alston has 129 units. The second building, set to open in July, has 116, he said.

Overall, the residential area along Mill Road will include five, four-story apartment buildings, plus an area of townhomes, totaling 489 units, Tritec's spokesman said.

At the Alston, a 492-square-foot studio is priced at $1,700 a month and a 1,192-square-foot two-bedroom apartment is available for $3,150 a month. Amenities include a pool, two fitness centers, a yoga room, multiple clubrooms, courtyards with firepits and grilling stations, and a game room.

At full build-out, the Ronkonkoma Hub, which Long Island officials have long said will help revitalize a struggling and neglected area of the hamlet, will feature 1,450 residential units, 195,000 square feet of office space and 360,000 square feet of retail space. Another 60,000 square feet will be destined for hospitality and community spaces.

Tritec principal owner James L. Coughlan said in 2017 that the project was designed to attract a diverse mix of residents, including single people, young families and seniors in search of smaller homes.

Workers put finishing touches on the lobby at the Alston... — Workers put finishing touches on the lobby at the Alston on Friday. Credit: Yellow House Images / Andrew Theodorakis

Patchogue residents Chris Lotito, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee planning to retire next month, and his wife, Dina Lotito, a homemaker, were among the first people to sign a lease at the Alston, deciding on a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony.

"We are super excited to move in and see how [the project] changes Ronkonkoma," Dina Lotito said. "The property is simply gorgeous. ... Who wouldn't want to live here and in a brand-new apartment?"