Representatives from New York State, Suffolk County, and the Town of Brookhaven assisted senior citizens, Gloria and Lorenzo Wilson as they cut the ribbon for the official grand opening of Pinehurst, a successful affordable rental complex for residents 55 and older.
Pinehurst was developed by Conifer Realty LLC and sponsored by Community Development Corp. of Long Island (CDC). According to CDC president Marianne Garvin, "CDC is committed to providing safe and supportive housing for our residents. Pinehurst sets a terrific precedent to build more affordable rentals for Long Island's lower-income seniors, allowing them to transfer from empty-nest homes to a quality, affordable community."
Pinehurst is the last phase of rental units at Conifer Village for seniors 55 and older. The complex consists of 140 one and two-bedroom rental apartments. Half of the units were made available at below market rates for lower-income seniors with incomes less than 70% of the area median income. Pinehurst provides renters with safe, decent, and affordable housing without sacrificing amenities such as wireless Internet, a homecare facility, computer lab, library, and fitness and community center.
The Wilsons have been living on Long Island since the 1950s and raised their children here. As their children grew and left home to make lives for themselves, they needed to downsize their living space. Pinehurst allows the Wilsons to stay on Long Island near their grandchildren and great grandchild and continue their active lifestyles.
"Today's ribbon-cutting for Pinehurst is the culmination of yet another successful effort by CDC to meet a critical community need.  Sincere thanks to Marianne Garvin and her dedicated staff for helping lower-income seniors remain in the Long Island community they love.  And, thanks to NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal Commissioner Deborah VanAmerongen and her capable staff for being such an effective partner in this effort and recognizing Long Island's affordable housing needs," said Long Island regional representative for the Office of Governor David Paterson, Michael Harrison.
Conifer Village is a joint venture between CDC and Conifer Realty, LLC. As a not-for-profit organization, CDC obtained tax-credit financing to help defray development costs. This subsidy program, allocated through the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), encourages private investment in rental housing reserved for lower-income households.
"DHCR is proud to have been a partner in the development of Conifer Village. It is a fine example of affordable housing that is attractive quality real estate that fits into the community. It demonstrates that affordable not only works, but in this instance provides senior citizens with affordable housing in a community where they have raised their families so that they can stay and live independently in a community that they call home," said DHCR assistant commissioner Gregory Watson.
"The Town of Brookhaven always welcomes and encourages affordable housing for our seniors and it seems that Conifer Village is at the forefront again," said Brookhaven town councilman Timothy Mazzei.
According to vice president of business development for Conifer Realty, LLC, Andrew Crossed, "This project would not have been possible without the commitment and support of the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, and New York State.  The success of this project shows what is possible when the public and private sectors work in collaboration to meet the common goal of providing much needed affordable housing to the residents of Long Island."  Tags: