New Condo Complex In Westhampton Beach Will Feature Eight Affordable Units

A plan to build 48 condominiums in Westhampton Beach, on eight acres of undeveloped land situated just north of the high school athletic fields, is nearing completion and ground could be broken on the complex by this summer, according to village officials.

The Patio Garden II application has been in circulation for approximately five years and, if approved by the Westhampton Beach Planning Board, will feature eight affordable units once the complex is built just north and west of the intersection of Old Riverhead Road and Montauk Highway, according to Westhampton Beach Building and Zoning Administrator Paul Houlihan. The board is still awaiting final approval from the Suffolk County Board of Health before deeming the application complete, he said.

“There are no problems with the application,” Mr. Houlihan said this week. “The health department is really the only major thing we are waiting for.”

He explained that the proposal for the project first came before the village’s planning board in 2008, and was nearing completion in 2010 when the owner of the property, Bruce Barnet of Barnet Holdings in Garden City, put the project on hold for unknown reasons. In 2011, Mr. Barnet came back before the planning board to pitch the same project, which will sit adjacent to the Patio Villas, another condo complex built by the same company in 1987. The latest project calls for the construction of 17 buildings, each featuring different numbers of condos.

Messages left for Mr. Barnet as his office were not returned this week.

The complex will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and also feature an outdoor pool and a community room. Prices for the units have not yet been set.

Mr. Barnet could, as of right, have built up to 40 units, or five condos per acre. By agreeing to build the affordable units, he will be allowed to build six units per acre. The land on which the condos will be built is located within the village’s hotel district, meaning that Mr. Barnet will not need to secure any special variances to move forward with his plans.

The entrances to the development will be located on both Montauk Highway and Depot Road, and each unit will have two parking spaces. The property will also have a number of handicapped spots, bringing the total number of spaces to 101.

Mr. Houlihan said the only concerns raised by residents during the early stages of the project pertained to traffic on Depot Road, and what will happen when those vehicles attempt to turn onto Montauk Highway. He explained that a traffic study was completed and it determined that the complex will not have an adverse affect on traffic. There is already a traffic light at the intersection of Depot Road and Montauk Highway.

Village Clerk Rebecca Molinaro said the municipality is still hammering out the details for the eight affordable units, including how much they will cost and who will be eligible to buy them. She said that Village Board members recently amended the village code to include an affordable housing option. The changes outline the rules for both the owners and sellers of the units.

To be eligible for the affordable units, a person must meet household income guidelines, which have not yet been set. Interested parties will be selected for the affordable units through a lottery, which will be conducted by an outside firm, and priority will be given to year-round village residents and local first responders.

“The provisions are very similar to ones in place under Southampton Town codes,” Ms. Molinaro said.

Once the planning board approves the application, which is expected to happen once the health department paperwork is finalized, the property owner will most likely build two or three buildings at time. If there are no lapses in construction, Mr. Houlihan estimates that the entire complex can be finished within the year.

“They basically have everything ready to go,” he said.