The lottery drawing for the 20 designated workforce housing units, a mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in the new Avalon Great Neck rental community overlooking Manhasset Bay, was recently held at the Village of Great Neck’s Village Hall.
Island-wide buzz about the luxury bay-front community and the starting rental prices for the workforce units at only $1,593 were major factors for applications being almost 450 percent more than the available units, with 89 applications for the 20 apartments.
The Long Island Housing Partner-ship (LIHP), whose representatives were on hand to conduct the actual lottery drawing, have been overseeing the lottery program.
“It’s no secret that there is growing demand for quality multifamily housing on Long Island as millennials come of housing age and baby boomers get further into retirement. The creation of multifamily communities like Avalon Great Neck not only expand residential lifestyle choices but also provide additional price points below the single-family home market,” said Christopher Capece, AvalonBay senior development director. “Offering workforce housing options to deserving residents represents a cornerstone of AvalonBay communities throughout Long Island. It is important that Long Island offer quality housing for people at all income levels. Making these workforce housing units available in AvalonBay communities is one way we can contribute to a more affordable and sustainable Long Island.”
The lottery drawing randomly assigned each application a number from 1 to 89. LIHP will now evaluate the first 20 applications drawn to determine final qualification, based on specific household-income criteria. If all of the first 20 applications drawn qualify, they will be offered units in the Avalon Great Neck community. If any of the applicants do not qualify or if one of the first 20 qualifying applicants turns down the offer, LIHP will continue down the list until all 20 apartments have been awarded and accepted. In the ensuing years, if one of the workforce housing units becomes available, the next applicant on the original list of 89 will be vetted and, if qualified, offered the available unit.
More than 35 of the 89 applicants were on hand for the drawing, as were AvalonBay representatives Capece, Tara Bernhardt, Valerie Jurgens and Lindsey Craft. LIHP officials at the drawing were James Britz and Joe Gallo.
The Avalon Great Neck community sits on the former site of a petroleum-storage facility that had been inactive for decades. Significant sections of the site had become contaminated and the abandoned oil tanks had become an eyesore for the village. At no cost to taxpayers, the land seller, Commander Oil, and AvalonBay carried out a multimillion dollar environmental clean-up. The transformation of the site has been dramatic.
“Avalon Great Neck is the most dynamically designed AvalonBay community on Long Island,” according to Capece. “With landscaped courtyards with an outdoor cucina, expansive Manhasset Bay views, heated infinity pool, fitness center, resident lounge with entertainment kitchen and game room, Avalon Great Neck residents will experience unparalleled luxury and convenience. Our goal was to create a rental community that set a standard for all future luxury rental communities on Long Island and we believe we’ve met that mark.”
Move-in of the first residents is scheduled for May. The full build-out and completion of construction is anticipated in Fall 2017. For more information, visit www.avalongreatneck.com or call 866-932-2534.
