Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that construction has begun on Three Mile Harbor, a $33 million housing development that will bring 50 energy-efficient apartments to East Hampton. The development offers affordable family homes in a vibrant community in the high performing East Hampton Union Free School District.
"My administration remains steadfast in our commitment to creating affordable housing for all New Yorkers that is high-quality and sustainable," Governor Hochul said. "Three Mile Harbor will create 50 new, energy-efficient homes and provide opportunities for working families in East Hampton and strengthen the community through much-needed housing. We will continue taking bold action to help ensure all New Yorkers have a more stable and equitable future for the next generation, and developments like Three Mile Harbor bring us closer to this goal."
Three Mile Harbor is part of Governor Hochul's sweeping plans to make housing more affordable, equitable, and stable. In the FY 2023 State Budget, the Governor successfully secured a new $25 billion, five-year, comprehensive housing plan that will increase housing supply by creating or preserving 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes.
The development will offer 10 one-bedroom, 29 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom apartments across five two-story residential buildings. A one-bedroom apartment will be set aside for the development's superintendent. A community building will include a meeting space, kitchenette, broadband Wi-Fi hotspot available to all residents, laundry facilities, and a generator in the event of power outages. Additional amenities include a playground and community patio. Five of the units will be accessible and adapted for persons with mobility impairments and three of the units will be equipped for persons with hearing and/or visual impairments.
Apartments at Three Mile Harbor will be affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income, with eight of the apartments serving households at 30 percent of the AMI. HCR will provide Housing Choice Vouchers for eight apartments.
Three Mile Harbor will be green certified under Enterprise Green Communities Criteria 2020 and Energy Star Certified Homes V 3.1, with the development utilizing Energy Star appliances, electric heat pump heating and hybrid electric hot water heaters. The design, operations and maintenance of the development will also incorporate water conservation and energy efficiency strategies.
The development is designed to complement the aesthetic of East Hampton and the natural vegetation and qualities of the surrounding area.
Three Mile Harbor is being developed by Georgica Green Ventures, LLC and the East Hampton Housing Authority.
State financing for Three Mile Harbor includes Low-Income Housing Tax Credits that will generate $18 million in equity, $3.4 million from New York State Homes and Community Renewal's Housing Trust Fund, and $350,000 from the Federal Housing Trust Fund. Suffolk County provided $2.2 million in subsidies.
In the last decade, HCR has invested over $200 million in Suffolk County, which has created or preserved 1,853 affordable homes. This includes Gansett Meadows, also in East Hampton, which provides 37 homes for working families, and Riverview Lofts in the town of Riverhead, which provides 116 affordable apartments and 12,000 square feet of commercial space in an environmentally sustainable building resilient to flooding and severe weather.
Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "Three Mile Harbor will provide 50 safe, affordable homes in a beautiful community with high-performing schools so that working families can create a better future. And the development's sustainable, energy-efficient design and ample green space demonstrates our commitment to building new housing that leads to a cleaner, healthier environment for all. Thank you to all our partners, including Georgica Green Ventures, LLC and the East Hampton Housing Authority, for their work to help us reach this milestone."
State Senator Anthony Palumbo said, "As an Assemblyman and State Senator I have worked tirelessly to expand affordable housing to the east end of Long Island. The Three Mile Harbor Apartments will provide urgently needed affordable living options for area residents and help reduce traffic congestion on our highways. This project is the latest example of what can be accomplished when state and local partners work together to address the region's affordable housing shortage."
Assemblymember Fred W. Thiele, Jr. said, "This 50-unit new construction project will help to address the affordable housing crisis in our region. This crisis has also exacerbated other East End issues such as traffic congestion and the recruitment and retention of fire and emergency service volunteers. I thank Governor Hochul, Homes and Community Renewal, and the East Hampton Housing Authority for their partnership on this project. Still, so much more needs to be done to address the demand for housing on the East End. This November, voters will have the opportunity to approve the Peconic Bay Community Housing Fund, which was signed by the Governor last October. Approval of this proposal will greatly expand additional housing options for local families."
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said, "Here on Long Island we are facing a housing crisis like never before. Home and rental prices are at record highs and the resulting shortage of affordable housing restricts economic growth and mobility in our region. The new Three Mile Harbor affordable housing development in East Hampton will provide opportunities to families, seniors and vulnerable individuals to live in a place they will be able to call home. Suffolk's funding of this development is an investment in our community and helps ensure a future in Suffolk County where residents can afford to stay."
East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said, "I am pleased and excited to see this project, which will provide homes for 50 residents and their families, get under way. Safe, year-round housing that is accessible to our community members is crucial to insure a healthy diversity in East Hampton, and to maintain the fabric of our community. As I have stated, we need an 'all hands on' effort to address this critical need, and I appreciate the participation of the East Hampton Housing Authority and Georgica Green Ventures, with the support of NYS Homes and Community Renewal, in working alongside the Town of East Hampton to create community housing."
East Hampton Housing Authority Executive Director Catherine Casey said, "The East Hampton Housing Authority greatly appreciates the commitment of the state and county agencies that support our efforts locally to create attainable housing in our community. The East Hampton Town Board declared that they would actively facilitate affordable housing initiatives at the January 2022 State of the Town address and they have been true to their word. The scarcity of decent, reasonably priced rentals is now affecting all economic strata; even businesses and individuals with significant resources are feeling the effects. Housing is now on everybody's agenda and the Three Mile Harbor development is a significant step toward providing the community with stable, year-round housing for those who might otherwise be forced to leave or compromise their own health and safety in an effort to remain. The free market is not tending to the needs of a large percentage of our population, necessitating publicly funded housing opportunities. East Hampton Housing Authority is grateful for the state and county funding that made Three Mile Harbor possible, and also that we have such an excellent partner in GGV."
Georgica Green Ventures LLC President David Gallo said, "Three Mile Harbor will be a transformative project for the Town of East Hampton and we are excited to mark the start of construction with today's groundbreaking ceremony. This project serves as a model for how state and local agencies, coupled with the private sector, can work together to address the need for affordable housing by undertaking a thoughtful approach that considers sustainability, transit access and community resources. We are thankful to all of our partners for supporting this project and we look forward to continuing our work to make Three Mile Harbor a reality."
