Matinecock Court in East Northport is taking applications for a housing lottery

Applications for a lottery for the $92 million Matinecock Court affordable housing development in East Northport are being accepted, its developers have announced, the latest step toward residents moving into a complex that has been more than 40 years in the making. 

Greenlawn-based Housing Help Inc. and Levittown-based D&F Development Group said the application deadline for the lottery to select residents for the 146 cooperative units is May 19.

Eligibility for the lottery is based on income limits based on state and federal guidelines, Peter Florey, a principal with D&F Development Group, said.

“We’re thrilled to get to this point,” Florey said. “We’re happy and looking forward to the initial residents coming in.”

The lottery will be held June 2 at 1 p.m. at a place to be determined, Florey said. He said he expects the first residents to move in in early July.

Decades of delays

The development, on 14½ acres at the corner of Pulaski and Elwood roads, was first proposed in 1978 but did not gain final approval until 2022.

It was delayed for decades over community opposition that included racist overtones, Newsday previously reported. The Town of Huntington was sued in 1981 by the Huntington branch of the NAACP for violating the federal Fair Housing Act, in part for denying the proposal because the town's zoning code did not allow multifamily housing in the area. The Supreme Court upheld a lower-court ruling against the town in 1988.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused another delay, and then the named developer for proposed rentals at the property pulled out of the deal, Newsday previously reported.

In 2021, D&F Development Group stepped in to complete the project. 

Pilar Moya-Mancera, executive director of Housing Help Inc., said after “decades of advocacy, resilience and an unwavering fight for fair housing,” getting to the point of selecting residents for the community is an example of gaining justice and a win for inclusion and perseverance.

“We stand on the threshold of real change,” she said.

Matinecock Court's 146 units will include one for a superintendent and eight set aside for people with developmental disabilities, Florey said.

The one- to three-bedroom units are not rentals. They fall under a type of ownership that permits residents to buy cooperative shares, Newsday previously reported. Residents will pay a monthly maintenance fee of between $1,206 and $2,430 for units, based on the area median income, Moya-Mancera said.

Info sessions scheduled

Information sessions in English and Spanish will be offered for prospective residents in the coming weeks at the Huntington Station branch of the Huntington Public Library system, at 1335 New York Ave. The Spanish-language session is April 8, and the English-language session is set for April 10. Both times are 6 p.m.

Housing Help Inc. counselors will be on hand at The Learning Center at St. Hugh in Huntington Station on two dates later in April to help applicants: April 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and April 29 from 2 to 6:30 p.m. The learning center is at the corner of First Avenue and Ninth Street.

Moya-Mancera said in 2024, the nonprofit Housing Help Inc. received 3,000 calls from people asking for help in finding an affordable rental, so it’s important to build on the success of Matinecock Court but with a faster timeline.

“Let’s be intentional in our commitment to desegregate Long Island, ensuring that every individual and family has access to opportunity, dignity and a place to call home,” she said.

Roger Weaving Jr., president of the Huntington Township Housing Coalition, which advocates for affordable housing in the town, applauded getting to this stage as a long-overdue step toward housing for all.

“After over 40 years, this has finally reached a point people will have an opportunity to move into homes they can afford,” Weaving said.