Wainscott could get new rental units for middle-class workers

Shown Dec. 24 is one of the cottages on Route 114 in Wainscott that could be demolished to make way for a new housing development.
Credit: Morgan Campbell
A 50-unit housing development proposed for Wainscott would become the first new construction since 2008 targeting middle-class workers in East Hampton Town.
The Route 114 Community Housing Project would address a glaring need for housing for town residents working in fields like education, retail and food service, according to a presentation at a recent Town Board meeting.
Last January, East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc unveiled an “All Hands on Housing” initiative to combat surging housing costs. Before that, the town spent $1.8 million to purchase two adjacent properties on Route 114 in Wainscott that now will be used to build the moderate income rental units.
The goal is to accommodate different family sizes by building 16 one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedroom units and 16 three-bedroom units.
Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the town’s deputy supervisor, outlined the recommendations a working group of several town officials and members of the East Hampton Housing Authority and Sag Harbor Community Housing Trust developed over several months. The proposed development is a collaboration between the three.
Burke-Gonzalez said the town will finance the construction of the property and then sell the units to the East Hampton Housing Authority.
The Sag Harbor Community Housing Trust owns a third parcel included in the project.
Noëlle Parker has lived in one of a handful of cottages on the property for about a decade. After working as an actress in Los Angeles, she moved to the Hamptons one summer to work in the restaurant industry. She ended up staying, continuing to work as a waitress and various other jobs, and found the studio cottage an affordable place to live with her dog and cat.
“We desperately need housing,” Parker, 54, told Newsday. “People who live and work here that aren’t rich really can’t afford to live here.”
She expressed concern during the recent meeting about what would happen to the current cottage residents.
Burke-Gonzalez told Newsday the cottages likely aren’t worth keeping and the town will consider several options for finding new homes for those residents. If the cottages can remain during construction, the residents could stay and be given priority in the new development when it’s completed, she said.
Parker said she supports the Route 114 project and remains hopeful she can secure a unit.
The unit mix would add about 100 total bedrooms to accommodate approximately 211 total occupants, according to the presentation.
Potential tenants would need to be at or below 130% of median income to qualify and tenants would be selected by lottery. The 130% threshold for a household with one person is $132,340 and it climbs to $151,190 for a two-person household.
The town plans to issue a request for proposals in January for a developer.
The only affordable rental apartments in East Hampton at the 130% area median income level were constructed in 2008 off Springs Fireplace Road. The development has 26 units. The remaining 277 units across seven other developments built between 1987 and 2020 are for lower income residents.
A 50-unit housing development proposed for Wainscott would become the first new construction since 2008 targeting middle-class workers in East Hampton Town.
The Route 114 Community Housing Project would address a glaring need for housing for town residents working in fields like education, retail and food service, according to a presentation at a recent Town Board meeting.
Last January, East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc unveiled an “All Hands on Housing” initiative to combat surging housing costs. Before that, the town spent $1.8 million to purchase two adjacent properties on Route 114 in Wainscott that now will be used to build the moderate income rental units.
The goal is to accommodate different family sizes by building 16 one-bedroom units, 18 two-bedroom units and 16 three-bedroom units.
Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the town’s deputy supervisor, outlined the recommendations a working group of several town officials and members of the East Hampton Housing Authority and Sag Harbor Community Housing Trust developed over several months. The proposed development is a collaboration between the three.
Burke-Gonzalez said the town will finance the construction of the property and then sell the units to the East Hampton Housing Authority.
The Sag Harbor Community Housing Trust owns a third parcel included in the project.
Noëlle Parker has lived in one of a handful of cottages on the property for about a decade. After working as an actress in Los Angeles, she moved to the Hamptons one summer to work in the restaurant industry. She ended up staying, continuing to work as a waitress and various other jobs, and found the studio cottage an affordable place to live with her dog and cat.
“We desperately need housing,” Parker, 54, told Newsday. “People who live and work here that aren’t rich really can’t afford to live here.”
She expressed concern during the recent meeting about what would happen to the current cottage residents.
Burke-Gonzalez told Newsday the cottages likely aren’t worth keeping and the town will consider several options for finding new homes for those residents. If the cottages can remain during construction, the residents could stay and be given priority in the new development when it’s completed, she said.
Parker said she supports the Route 114 project and remains hopeful she can secure a unit.
The unit mix would add about 100 total bedrooms to accommodate approximately 211 total occupants, according to the presentation.
Potential tenants would need to be at or below 130% of median income to qualify and tenants would be selected by lottery. The 130% threshold for a household with one person is $132,340 and it climbs to $151,190 for a two-person household.
The town plans to issue a request for proposals in January for a developer.
The only affordable rental apartments in East Hampton at the 130% area median income level were constructed in 2008 off Springs Fireplace Road. The development has 26 units. The remaining 277 units across seven other developments built between 1987 and 2020 are for lower income residents.
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