Amagansett Work-Force Housing Plan Advances
A 40-unit housing complex proposed to be constructed at 531 Montauk Highway in Amagansett would add an estimated 37 students to the Amagansett School District, the executive director of the East Hampton Housing Authority told the hamlet’s citizens advisory committee on Monday.
That figure, said Catherine Casey, is based on the number of “secondary” bedrooms in the development and on the demographics of the town’s other affordable housing developments.
The proposed project, designed for town residents with preference given to police, fire, and emergency personnel, honorably discharged veterans, and teachers who meet income eligibility requirements, could receive required approvals and funding in about 18 months, Ms. Casey said, adding that Amagansett has the town’s second-lowest number of affordable housing units and the lowest number of housing units occupied year round.
“Real estate values are strong here,” she said, having risen some 215 percent since 1999. Median family income, however, has gone up just 43 percent in that span. “That makes it extremely difficult for people to get into the market,” she said, with a significant percentage of residents allocating 30 percent or more of their income to housing expenses.
The proposed complex, which Ms. Casey and its architect, Anthony Musso, likened to a “pocket neighborhood” similar to Gansett Green Manor, would contain 12 each of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units. Three in each category would be reserved for each of four income levels: 30, 50, 60, and 90 percent of area median income. In addition, four commercial suites would feature accessory studio apartments for their tenants’ proprietor or staff.
Monthly rent would be approximately $1,100 for studios, Ms. Casey said. One-bedroom apartments would rent for $1,395 per month, two-bedroom units for $1,718, and three-bedroom apartments would cost $2,234 per month. Some tenants, she said, may receive Section 8 rental assistance based on their income level.
The 4.7-acre site on the north side of the highway west of V&V Auto Service, is zoned for affordable housing and limited business use. In her initial presentation to the committee, in October, Ms. Casey said the housing authority would issue a $4 million bond to buy the land from Putnam Bridge, the Connecticut company that had hoped to build a market-rate senior citizens complex on adjacent acreage; that plan was ultimately abandoned.
The authority would cover initial costs, Ms. Casey said. The East Hampton Town Board voted unanimously on Oct. 1 to guarantee the note.
The complex would feature a central green, playground, vegetable garden, community building, and state-of-the-art wastewater management, Ms. Casey said. Each housing unit would include a patio or balcony, and the structures would meet rigorous standards for energy efficiency and storm resilience. “We believe the architecture fits in beautifully,” she said. “It’s not going to clash or not fit in with the surrounding area.”
Selection criteria for the commercial units have not been determined, she told the committee, but the businesses would have to be deemed to serve the community. “The town would be very involved in selecting those tenants,” she said.
Ms. Casey told Supervisor Larry Cantwell, the town board’s liaison to the committee, that the housing authority would pursue funding in tandem with continued planning. The authority will issue bond anticipation notes, she said, and seek construction funding from the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal, which itself receives funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. An application for site plan review could be made within a year, she said.
In other news from the meeting, Mr. Cantwell told the committee that a public restroom facility in the municipal parking lot north of the Main Street commercial district is on track and will be constructed concurrent with the repaving and restriping of the lot. The projects will be completed before the summer, he said.
The restroom, which has been under discussion for more than a decade, will be at the northern perimeter of the lot, not near its center, as previously planned. A sidewalk will be installed along that perimeter, connecting with existing sidewalks around the lot. The chosen contractor will not maintain the price quoted for the new location, Mr. Cantwell said, so the town will seek new bids.
Owing to the continued existence of a septic system that lies too close to a private well, and the Suffolk County Department of Health’s subsequent refusal to issue a certificate of occupancy for a restroom on any part of the lot, the town is assuming some risk in moving forward with construction, Mr. Cantwell said. “But I’m confident, based on conversations with the Health Department, that we’re going to be okay with this at some point . . . to do this now,” he said. “My feeling is we’re going to be able to work this out.”
The project will cost between $400,000 and $500,000, Mr. Cantwell said. “But we’re going to have a completely resurfaced parking lot, completely restriped, and finally, we’re going to have a restroom facility downtown. My feeling is, we have to maintain our infrastructure. This is too important to everybody.” The committee agreed, voting to support the plan.