New Cassel housing project gets state aid
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Community Development Corp. of Long Island chief executive Marianne Garvin said a $12 million town of North Hempstead development project would provide affordable housing, remove blight and create jobs. (Dec. 9, 2011) Credit: Howard Schnapp
Developers of an affordable apartment building in New Cassel on Friday hailed a $2.6 million state grant they said would enable the long-awaited initiative to move forward.
The project to build 36 units of rental housing on Prospect Avenue is one of 66 on Long Island that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced this week would share $101.6 million in grants.
The housing development is part of the Town of North Hempstead's ongoing efforts to revitalize the hamlet, which has struggled with blight and lack of amenities for residents.
The developers are Community Development Corp. of Long Island, a Centereach-based nonprofit, and Conifer Realty, a real estate development and management company based in Rochester.
At a news conference Friday at the site, CDC chief executive Marianne Garvin said the $12 million project would provide affordable housing, remove blight and create jobs. She called the housing the "final piece of the puzzle for Prospect Avenue."
North Hempstead Councilwoman Viviana Russell said the project was part of what residents laid out nearly a decade ago as their vision for what their community needed -- mixed-use development, a dentist, a pharmacy. "Sixty million dollars has been invested in the community of New Cassel," she said.
The state grant is a mix of trust funds and annual tax credits, said Allen Handelman, vice president of development for Conifer. He said construction would begin by late spring, with work expected to take about 14 months.
The three-story building will have 18 one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom units, and four three-bedroom units, the CDC said.
"I support it 100 percent," said Eddie Eason, president of the Westbury Community Improvement Corp. "We need low-income apartments here."
There will be two levels of income eligibility: 22 families can earn up to $53,750 for a family of four, and 14 families can earn up to $64,500 for a family of four. Monthly rents will range from $962 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,327 for a three-bedroom unit, according to the CDC.
Bishop Lionel Harvey, of the Unified New Cassel Community Revitalization Corp., said the housing would "change the lives of 36 families." With each step to improve the area, he said, "there is a sense of joy and exuberance in this community."
The town, which sold the land at a deep discount, will reduce permit fees for the project.
Nassau County provided $720,000 for the project.
The CDC also won a $100,000 competitive grant from the TD Charitable Foundation to set up a revolving loan fund for 200 multifamily rental housing units, including those in New Cassel.
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