Port Jefferson, NY Community Development Corp. of Long Island (CDCLI) and Conifer Realty, LLC joined the mayor of Port Jefferson Village, Margot Garant; Suffolk’s County executive, Steve Bellone; and other local stakeholders to kick-off the demolition of buildings on the site of the soon-to-be, “Port Jefferson Crossing” mixed-use development.

Mayor Garant welcomed participants and said, “This project is critical to the ground breaking of our uptown revitalization efforts and will create a new gateway to our beautiful village. We are so proud to work with all partners at the CDCLI, the county, the state, and we thank Conifer Realty for their investment into our community. Projects like this take time to plan and build, but prove we can do it together,  one building at a time.”

“CDCLI is proud to partner with Conifer Realty and assist the Village with their aspirations of truly transforming Upper Port Jefferson. In light of the year we are all coming out of, walkable, affordable, and sustainable housing is more important than ever. We are grateful to all of our critical stakeholders here today, especially the mayor, county executive, chair of the IDA, and representatives from Empire State Development,” said Gwen O’Shea, president and CEO of CDCLI.

Vice president of development for Conifer Realty, Roger Pine, said, “We are proud to be the first development that will transform Upper Port Jefferson into a vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income community, and a home for possibilities.”

“As we work to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, access to quality, affordable housing is absolutely critical for our region,” said Suffolk County executive Steve Bellone. “In totality, Port Jefferson Crossing will encourage the use of mass transit, spur economic growth, and provide working-class residents in the Port Jefferson community with high-quality housing. Suffolk County is proud to partner with the Village and CDCLI to bring new life into this vibrant downtown.”

Multifamily affordable housing developments require multiple public and private funding sources and financial agreements in order to be financially viable. Port Jefferson Crossing is receiving financial support investments and agreements from: Community Development Trust, TD Bank, New York State’s Housing and Community Renewal Housing Trust Fund, Middle Income Program and Community Investment Fund, New York State’s Empire State Development Fund, Suffolk County, and the Town of Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency (IDA).

Fred Braun, chair of the Town of Brookhaven IDA said, “The Town of Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency is pleased to be a partner in the development of a completely affordable 45-unit rental housing complex in Port Jefferson.”

The location, adjacent to the Long Island Railroad station, epitomizes the concept of Transit Oriented Development, which has been the focus of similar projects on Long Island. We have worked closely with CDCLI in the past and look forward to future projects as well.”

Empire State Development acting commissioner and president & CEO-designate Eric Gertler said, “Port Jefferson Crossing is another great example of making smart investments in a project that revitalizes areas where people can live, work, and play. This mixed-use project will help the local economy move forward from the devastating affects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the economy and provide sustainable, affordable housing near public transit for the community.”