East Hampton wins $3.171 million ESD grant for Route 114 housing infrastructure; town to consider CHF match

Town Supervisor Kathy Burke Gonzalez said the town received $3.171 million from the Empire State Development Corp. to help fund infrastructure for the Route 114 housing project.

The town purchased roughly 6.5 acres, placed an affordable housing overlay and gifted the parcels to the East Hampton Housing Authority. The authority selected Georgia Green Ventures as the developer; Gonzalez said the firm (and its principal, as stated in the transcript) previously built other local affordable projects. The ESD grant will help pay for public water and a sewage treatment plant to serve the development.

Gonzalez said the town must provide matching funds and that the town board scheduled a vote the following night to use community housing fund (CHF) monies as the match. She described the award as a timely boost and emphasized multiple required reviews ahead: planning board, architectural review board and Suffolk County Department of Health signoffs for septic or wastewater systems.

Gonzalez cautioned the project is still in conceptual design and that infrastructure and permitting will determine timing: “there’s a lot of layers... you’ve got to go through the planning board and the ARB for the town. You’ve got to go to Suffolk County Department of Health Services for all of your septic,” she said. She added the town is trying to move “hundreds of units” into the pipeline with a mix of housing types, but that approvals will guide final unit counts.

Next steps: the town board’s vote to authorize CHF matching funds is scheduled the night after this interview; developer designs and state/local permitting processes will guide the project schedule.