Comprehensive Multi-Use Community will Feature Next-Generation Homes, Sports/Entertainment Venue, Public Recreation and Solar Industrial Park

Vibrant Vision for 250 Acres will Provide Jobs, Sales Tax Revenue

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy’s vision for a multi-use community that will include hundreds of next-generation homes, commercial and retail establishments and recreational facilities -- anchored by both indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment venues – was unveiled today when he announced the building consortium selected for a planned development community on approximately 250 acres of county-owned land in Yaphank.

The concept of this $55-million campus-like community also includes a 95-acre high-technology, light industry business incubator for companies involved in developing alternative energies and new technologies, supported by a 4-megawatt solar power generation plant.

Levy stressed that all components of the planned development will be fully supported by sewers and that the development will be environmentally sensitive as a net-zero energy consumer.

“The community that will take shape on this surplus land will set a national standard for design and planning, and become a vibrant destination for all Long Islanders to live, work and play,” said Levy. “Legacy Village will provide a major boost for the Suffolk economy in terms of sales tax produced from the arena complex and jobs in the solar industrial park -- and most significantly will provide home ownership for more than 1,000 of our residents who wish to stay on Long Island.”

Through a comprehensive series of Requests for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) and Requests for Proposals (RFP), which were developed with community representatives, the county selected Legacy Village Real Estate Group to develop the site which consists of four separate parcels in and around existing county facilities. Legacy Village Real Estate Group is a joint venture created by The Beechwood Organization and Katter Development Organization.

“I cannot stress the importance of stopping the mass exodus of our educated 20 to 30 year olds off the Island,” said Kent Katter. “If the current trend continues, we will be without a professional workforce in the very near future. The recent college graduate or young adult who has a $100,000 plus job on Long Island are being forced back into their parent’s homes, illegal basement apartments or into high priced rental complexes because they simply cannot afford to buy a home on Long Island. The reasonably priced Home Ownership opportunities at Legacy Village, will allow our children to move out of the basement, stop renting and create wealth through home ownership. The need is now for our sons and daughters, with affordable home ownership we can stop the brain drain and allow our future professional workforce a chance to put down ‘roots’ here on Long Island.”

Michael Dubb, President of Beechwood, added “I am truly humbled that County Executive Levy has given us the opportunity to do what we do best, which is create a lifestyle environment that can and will directly enrich the lives of thousands of people either through living, working or playing at Legacy Village, not to mention the less obvious but also important factors of job growth and much needed tax revenue.”

Next Generation Residential Community

The residential component of Legacy Village will include a 118-acre site, set back from the west side of Yaphank Avenue, with 1,000 next-generation high-quality yet affordable one- or two-bedroom townhomes and condominiums, as well as a clubhouse and day care center, which will be available for Legacy Village residents and for county employees working in the Yaphank area. The community will include a small number of retail shops for the every-day convenience of residents, and will offer trolley service to other areas of the Yaphank development.

“One of the most pressing challenges we face as a region today is to get our young, working people out of their parents basement or attics apartments and into homes they can afford,” said Levy. “The availability of affordable housing goes hand in hand with our region’s economic sustainability; without housing for their employees, companies will not be able to stay, expand or locate in Suffolk County.”

The residential community will provide 785 affordable or workforce homes, priced between approximately $195,000 and $290,000 for families making between 80-120% of the area median income, as follows:

357 for 80% of AMI ($65,150 for a two-person household in 2009)
214 for 100% of AMI ($81,400 for a two-person household in 2009)
214 for 120% of AMI ($97,800 for a two-person household ion 2009)

An affordability preference will be given for veterans returning from service in the global war on terrorism, for firefighters and EMS workers and for residents of the Yaphank community.

The remaining 215 homes, which will include a legal accessory apartment, would be sold at market rate. The legal apartments, Levy noted, could be ideal for homeowners caring for an older family member, or as a source of income to help make obtaining a mortgage achievable.

Levy noted that several large employers in Suffolk County, including nearby Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University have supported the residential community because of the need for housing its employees.

He added that because of the small size of the homes, the community is projected to be a tax-positive for the school district, generating nearly $3 million in annual property tax revenue to the Longwood School District.

Recreational Fields

Adjacent to the residential complex will be a 30-acre outdoor recreational facility that will be developed into softball, football, soccer and lacrosse fields for area youth sports leagues and the surrounding communities. Additionally, Levy added, the development will preserve approximately 20 acres of existing soccer fields near the site.

Family Destination Center and Arena/Stadium

The focal point of the Legacy Village will be the family destination center, which will be located on a 35-acre parcel on the east side of Yaphank Avenue, just south of the Long Island Expressway.

“The Legacy Athletic Village will provide multiple opportunities for families to attend professional and semi-professional sporting events, as well as concerts and shows with nationally-known acts,” said Levy.

The center will be anchored by a 5,500-seat indoor, multi-purpose arena suitable for minor league hockey and other sports, as well as year-round concerts, trade shows, graduations and special events.

Adjacent to the arena will be a 5,000-seat outdoor football/lacrosse stadium, encircled by a track, which will also serve as a regional training facility for the Special Olympics.

The village will also host an outdoor ice skating rink and a 50,000-square-foot Wellness Center.

Along with the revenue generated by the two athletic venues, the village will be supported by a 90-room hotel, four free-standing restaurants, 50,000 square feet of office space, 25,000 square feet of retail space and 72 affordable rental units located above the office/retail area.

Annual attendance estimates are projected at 400,000 patrons between the two venues, and the destination center complex is expected to generate more than $1.5 million in taxes annually.

Development of the destination center complex will require the relocation of the Department of Public Works highway maintenance yard and salt storage buildings – the only part of the development plan that will impact any county facilities.

Alternative Energy R&D Incubator

On a 95-acre parcel just north of Horseblock Road and west of Yaphank Avenue, a state-of-the-art alternative energy research and development incubator is expected to provide hundreds of full-time careers. The industrial park will focus on companies developing alternative energies, emerging technologies and will encourage synergistic alliances with nearby academic and research institutions.

The park is expected to generate hundreds of high-paying careers, as well as $1 million in annual property tax revenue.

The clean power park will include a 4-megawatt solar generation power plant, capable of producing enough energy to run the entire 250-acre complex, making the development a net-zero energy user.

Site Benefits

The four tracts of county-owned land were once envisioned to host a centralized complex all county agencies, however have been developed piecemeal over the past three decades for various county facilities as well as private industrial use.

In a prior State of the County address, Levy laid out the initial vision for development of approximately 250 of the 800 acres of county-owned land, noting that the property offers many benefits for properly planned development – most notably, the availability of a sewer district with ample capacity.

Additionally, the property is served by two major east-west state routes (the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway) and by Yaphank Avenue, which connects the two state roads north-to-south.

The family destination center complex could be accessed by Long Island Railroad’s main line station in Yaphank, as well as by the Suffolk County bus system.

Quotes and reaction

“This is an important project not just for Suffolk County, but for the future of Long Island as a whole,” said Matthew Crosson, President of the Long Island Association. “It is exactly the kind of project the region needs, combining housing that people can afford with development that will create jobs and enhance our quality of life. All Long Islanders should be grateful to County Executive Steve Levy for his leadership on this project, which has been sustained over several years.”

---