The Village of Farmingdale will be holding a public hearing on Monday, Oct. 7, discussing a proposed zone change with the goal of creating affordable housing for those dealing with a salary that is below the area median income.
“I am big on keeping millennials on Long Island,” said Mayor Ralph Ekstrand. “If you are earning $62,000 a year in a workforce housing unit, your rent will be somewhere around a grand, which millennials can afford, which is why we are doing it. We would be the first in Nassau County to have a 100 percent workforce housing zone.”
The proposed zone is an area on the south side of Fulton Street (Rt. 109), just west of Staple Street, where three abandoned houses currently sit. Ekstrand said that the village thought this was a great place to start since no one is currently living at these locations. Currently, no development plan is in place because no parties have put in an application.
“No one likes abandoned houses and that would be an area that we would like to be developed if somebody moves in,” said Ekstrand. “Nobody has put in an application, but by establishing a zone, that would give developers the interest to come in and build workforce housing.”
In a statement to the Observer, village trustee Walter Priestly said that the decision to approach this stemmed from a 2006 lawsuit against the village. The Community Legal Assistance Corporation at Hofstra University sued the town for allegedly discriminating against the tenants of 150 Secatogue Ave. on the base of race or national origin when it approved a renovation of a run down 54-unit apartment complex where approximately 50 percent of the tenants were Hispanic. Plaintiffs alleged that the village’s conduct, permitting the demolition of the 54 units, discriminated against those that lived there.
“The village denied any wrongdoing and continues to deny any racial motivation or improper motives,” said Priestly. “Unfortunately, the events surrounding, and the transcripts of the public hearings held in connection with the development of [the lot], were littered with evidence the plaintiffs argued was indicative of racial animus. And the law is such that you need not prove intentional discrimination.”
Despite wanting to fight it further, the village ended up settling the lawsuit in 2014, citing that it would’ve been too expensive and time-consuming. As part of it, the village agreed to build 54 units of affordable housing to replace what was eliminated at the Secatogue Avenue site. It agreed to work with the Long Island Housing Partnership in order to figure out ways to develop this housing.
“So far, with our best efforts, we have provided seven units which satisfy our obligation under the settlement,” said Priestly. “We meet with the Long Island Housing Partnership and developers from time to time to discuss the settlement and how the village might assist in the development of the units.”
One developer, D&F Development Group in Levittown, has confirmed that it has been in negotiations with the village but has not submitted an application yet and has not disclosed any further details of their discussions.
Priestly said that the village is obligated to satisfy the terms of the legal settlement and believes that this would be an important step towards completing the agreement.
“If we don’t satisfy the terms, we will put our tax payers at risk of a heavy financial burden,” said Priestly. “As important as the legal issues are, it will provide more affordable housing for hard working, tax paying Long Islanders, seniors, single parents and some of our young people.”
Citizens have been critical of the village’s growth over the years. A proposal for a 54-unit apartment building faced public opposition last year and was later dropped. Residents can comment on the proposal by mail or email to the village, or they can attend the hearing on the workforce zone on Monday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. at the village hall.
For more information and to reach out to the village, visit www.farmingdalevillage.com. For more information on the Long Island Housing Partnership, you can go to www.lihp.org.
