(Photo by Anthony Alvarez)
Luxury apartment complex Modera Mineola held its grand opening on Oct. 28, capping a development process that spanned two Mineola Village Boards, two developers and community group vetting dating back to 2003 when the village’s master plan was implemented.
“The completion of these buildings more than represents well-executed, new multi-family communities satisfying the demand for transit-oriented development in this region,” Mill Creek Vice President of Development for New York and Connecticut Jamie Stover said. “It’s really about celebrating innovative land-use policies that set the stage of what public/private partnerships can offer.”
The 275-unit, $93 million building joins its 36-unit senior housing component, Hudson House, which opened last summer.
“Today stands as a witness that the village’s master plan is working,” Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss said. “That our downtown is being revitalized. That Mineola will be a vibrant village.”
Polimeni International LLC originally planned Modera and Hudson as condominiums, but sold the developmental rights to Mill Creek in 2012 after prolonged subdivision squabbles with the Village of Garden City over condominium possibilities. Vincent Polimeni, who passed away in 2013 at age 70, changed the condo configuration to rentals, but noted at past Mineola Village Board meetings that it was due to the current economic climate.
(Photo by Anthony Alvarez)
“[Vincent] Polimeni said ‘I want to build a nine-story building in downtown Mineola,’” former mayor and current state Senator Jack Martins said. “We held a hearing in November 2006 and we had a bunch of people come in but not a single resident from Mineola came in and complained because they understood this was a way to revitalize our downtown.”
Polimeni, called a “visionary” in development, was the first to propose building a road and train tunnel linking Long Island to Westchester in 2007 under the Long Island Sound. The plan was scuttled in 2010 after struggles with state approvals.
“I wish Vincent [Polimeni] was here to see this community get built,” Mill Creek assess management Vice President Maria Rigopoulos said. She worked on the Modera plan four years ago. “We miss him. I feel honored to have worked with him.”
Modera will offer residents access to a clubroom, including a nine-screen media wall where the grand opening was held; parlor games, including billiards; a 24-hour club-quality fitness center, featuring gym equipment and a yoga studio with fitness classes. Other amenities include a business lounge, pet spa, two outdoor courtyards, a resort-inspired outdoor pool, outdoor fireplace, outdoor kitchens with barbecue grills and bocce ball court.
“This is a great enhancement to the community,” Strauss said. “It’s a boost to the community and neighborhood.”
