Real Estate

Space Still Available at Summerwind as Construction Continues

Mixed-use facility, with 52 residential units, getting closer to completion on Peconic Avenue.

As construction downtown continues on Peconic Avenue's Summerwind project, several of the units remain open for rental, now being given out on a first-come, first-serve basis to those who are interested.

The 52-unit workforce housing unit, with a restaurant and bank moving in on the lower floor, will offer a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and a few two-bedroom apartments. But as of this week, either 15 or close to half of them were vacant, depending on who's talking. Either way, partner Ray Dickhoff, in charge of constructing Summerwind, said he is not worried.

"Who moves into a place, sight unseen?" said Dickhoff on Wednesday. "I think that's rare. So it says something that we already have applicants for so many."

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Jennifer Appel, general counsel and program advisor at Long Island Housing Partnership – which is overseeing the application process for the applicants – noted this week that the organization was reviewing about 25 applications for Summerwind units. Dickhoff said the number was closer to 35 and some could still be making their way through the process, as Summerwind is taking applications itself and trying to clean them up before sending them along.

The units will range from 400 to 750 square feet in size, Dickhoff said, each one with an outdoor balcony of its own. Twenty nine studios will be offered, with 20 one-bedrooms and three two-beds. Model units should be available soon for showings, and Councilwoman Jodi Giglio – one of Dickhoff's partners, who had been on board prior to her election on town council – said that while a recent lottery for the units wasn't full, she's not concerned with filling it in time.

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"It's not going to be a problem" filling up Summerwind, she said. 

Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island – an island-wide nonprofit that focuses on smart growth and supports mixed-use projects such as Summerwind – noted that perhaps partnering with local real estate agents could give the marketing aspect of the project a boost, to increase applicants. Currently the group is not affiliated with any real estate agency, Dickhoff said, though is leveraging local and regional media to get the word out. Though Alexander, like Dickhoff, noted that it's a bit early to say the place should be filled.

"It takes some people close to a year to find a place to live," he said. "It's still under construction, so maybe people are waiting to see the finished product."

A 21-page application process thoroughly vets all applicants, as the workforce rents can drop to as low as $905 per month, plus utilities. The $9 million project itself – which broke ground in November of 2011 – offers the ability to grant lower rents than market value due to nearly $2 million in funding from Suffolk County.

While Giglio said a July 1 opening would be nice, Dickhoff said that's probably optimistic, though having a goal to push for has been what's got the project up to this point. 

Individuals can apply online, or Dickhoff said applications could be picked up on site as well.


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