Town of Huntington, NY - News Details
2/2/2016 - Petrone, Berland Participate in The Club at Melville Opening
Melville – Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone and Councilwoman Susan A. Berland took part February 2 in the grand opening ceremonies for The Club at Melville, a 260-unit active adult community on Deshon Drive.
The Club, which was designed as an income-restricted community for persons 55 years of age and older, recently began accepting residents into some of the buildings while construction continues on the rest of the development.
Jane Goll, one of the partners in Continental Pinewood Devleopment Partners, which is building the project, thanked the Supervisor and the Councilwoman for their efforts in bringing about the development, which was part of an innovative agreement involving the Town, the owner of the Melville property and Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam-Northeast (BAPS), a Hindu organization.
The BAPS was looking to construct a temple in the area, originally on the 8.1-acre former Meyers Farm. As part of the agreement, the town purchased the Meyers Farm property from the BAPS to create Sweet Hollow Park, which is currently under development. The Town transferred development rights from the portion of the Meyers Farm property that is to be used as passive parkland to the 18-acre Deshon Drive parcel and approved a rezoning that allowed construction of The Club, clustered on 13 of those acres. The remaining five acres of the site were sold to BAPS for their temple, which is under construction.
In his remarks, Supervisor Petrone noted that the arrangement had multiple benefits, giving residents of the Melville area a long-desired park, allowing a religious organization to expand its operations and creating much-needed affordable senior housing. Councilwoman Berland spoke of the input, cooperation and support from community groups that helped make the unique, three-way land deal possible.
The apartments in the development were offered for sale in three categories, in accordance with the requirements of Town Code, with the price based on the income category: 80 percent of median income, 120 percent of the median income and 130 percent of median income. The 80 percent units were fully subscribed. Units in the 130 percent category, carrying the highest price (currently $400,601.50) were made available to the general public after the list resulting from a July 2014 lottery was exhausted. A limited number of units in the 120 percent income category (priced at $327,000) also remain available.
The Town of Huntington Community Development Agency is still accepting applications for those units. To be eligible, the maximum income for a family of one or two is $104,650; for a family of three, $117,700; and for a family of four, $130,800. Applicants must also meet asset qualification requirements.
For more details about the community, including photographs, persons can visit the development’s website, http://theclubatmelville.net. Additional details about eligibility guidelines and estimated monthly carrying charges can be viewed or downloaded. An application can be downloaded, Interested persons can also call the CDA at (631) 351-2884 for more information and an application package. The CDA is processing the qualification forms.