Affordable apartments in Hempstead available through housing lottery

Apartment hunters in Hempstead can apply for 227 new units available through a lottery to select tenants for an affordable housing development offering below-market rents.

Applications for 159 Main are open through Oct. 21 with units available at a wide range of rents based on tenants’ incomes. Rents range from $766 for a studio to $3,186 for a two-bedroom apartment, with many other price points in between.

Individuals earning between 30% and 90% of area median income will qualify for the income requirements. For the cheapest units, that translates to a maximum income of $34,650 for an individual or $39,600 for a couple.

But individuals earning up to $103,950 qualify for the units set aside for people earning 90% of area median income. A family of four earning up to $148,410 would also meet the requirements, which are based on income and household size.

The greatest number of units, 121, permit incomes up to 60% of the area median, which is $69,300 for a single person or $79,200 for a couple.

“This development has a broad cross section of unit sizes and income bands to meet the needs of the community,” said Gwen O’Shea, CEO of the nonprofit Community Development Long Island, which co-developed the property with Rochester-based Conifer Realty.

The building offers tenants open-concept floor plans, large bathrooms and closets and Energy Star-rated appliances. There’s also a fitness center, community room, onsite laundry and underground parking, according to the developers.

The development is Conifer’s 11th on Long Island and second in Hempstead, joining the Twin Oaks Apartments on Manor Avenue. The two-building, five-story complex will also have a 16,000-square-foot ground floor Compare Fresh supermarket. 

“This was an opportunity for us to really continue to expand our footprint but also our mission in terms of bringing affordable workforce, mixed-income housing,” said Roger Piné, vice president of development at Conifer Realty. “This is really one of our signature projects on Long Island.”

The $155 million development received state and local support, including $79 million in bond financing from New York State Homes and Community Renewal, the state’s affordable housing agency.

159 Main is also walking distance to the Rosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center, providing access to the Long Island Rail Road and the Nassau Inter-County Express bus system.

“Having access to public transportation is a key request we hear over and over again from both municipalities and individual community members,” O’Shea said.

The rents are designed to take up no more than 30% of tenants’ gross income in accordance with the federal guidelines for affordable housing.

While the highest rents in the development begin to approach what’s available elsewhere in the market, tenants get access to brand-new apartments and won’t face significant rent increases on an annual basis the way they could in other buildings, Piné said. 

“It does provide long term stability,” Piné said. “Eventually these residents get a higher paying job and they're able to save money because they're not spending, over 50% of their income on rent."

The new apartments add to a spate of new units near the train station in Hempstead and follow the recent opening of the neighboring 96-unit Estella, an affordable and supportive housing development from nonprofit developer Concern Housing. That building included units set aside for veterans and people with disabilities. Supportive housing provides social services to tenants. 

The new housing is part of the village’s downtown revitalization, which benefitted from a $10 million grant from the state earlier this year.

Applications for recent affordable housing lotteries on Long Island have far exceeded the number of available units. There were 1,741 applications for Estella, according to Concern, for 53 available units. The nonprofit conducted a separate process to fill the supportive housing units.

Tenants who can pay below-market rents in affordable housing developments have a better chance to save money for the future, which is critical for families who want to purchase homes, O'Shea said.

“Being able to save for that is key, and developments like 159 Main make that possible,” she said. 

Interested applicants can apply online at 159mainapartments.com or request an application by email at 159main@coniferllc.com or phone at 631-471-1215.

By Jonathan LaMantia

jonathan.lamantia@newsday.com@jonlamantia

Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.