What is the plan for new apartments in West Hempstead?

A potentially massive boost to the economy is headed West Hempstead’s way.

Heatherwood, a family-owned real estate business on Long Island, is preparing to infuse $212 million to transform a dilapidated building across from the train station into a nine-acre luxury apartment complex. Local residents and business owners expressed hope that this project would provide a huge lift to the local economy.

“I think the surrounding businesses will want to grab onto the ride,” Douglas Patrick, CEO and owner of Heatherwood, said during the June 1 West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce meeting. “Hopefully, we see surrounding investment and upgrading of local businesses here.”

The plans for the apartment complex feature 428 housing units across two buildings and a two-acre courtyard. Amenities are likely to include an outdoor and indoor fitness center, a work-from-home space, a pool, outdoor barbecues and fire pits, and a rooftop lounge.

The property, at 111 Hempstead Turnpike, has passed through the hands of multiple owners in the past decade, but the space’s potential has never fully been realized, officials said.

Officials at Heatherwood, however, said they have long-term plans for the property. According to Chris Capece, president of Heatherwood, the project’s primary goals are revitalizing the West Hempstead economy and supporting the struggling local train station by creating housing that retains the transit-based workforce. Heatherwood wants to build something “generational,” he said.

“We don’t develop and then sell. We develop and own,” Capece said, adding that Heatherwood manages and maintains its own properties. “For us to be in a position where we’re creating opportunities for other business owners to collaborate with us in the future — that’s what this is all about. We believe in community.”

Capece and Patrick said Heatherwood is an “economic engine” looking to partner with local businesses and community members. Heatherwood would be able to sponsor or host events and potentially give internship and training opportunities to students interested in real estate, construction, engineering and more.

Heatherwood worked closely with local organizations like the West Hempstead Community Support Association and the Chamber of Commerce. The current plans are a result of multiple conversations about the potential for this project and what the community wanted to see from it. Capece said support from West Hempstead is what gave the project the momentum and potential it has today.

“We’re here to collaborate with the community and make sure we’re the partners we say we are,” Patrick said. “That’s important to us.”

The property, most recently owned by National Wholesale Liquidators, is currently a plain white edifice with a parking lot that one resident described as “the surface of the moon.”

Officials said the building contains asbestos and lead-based paint and will be demolished so Heatherwood can build the apartment complex from the ground-up. Capece added that creating the complex from scratch allows Heatherwood to transform outdated architecture into something that makes sense for today’s demographics.

“It’s going to lift West Hempstead tremendously in aesthetics,” Maureen Greenberg, president of the West Hempstead Community Support Association, said. “It’s the gateway to our community on Hempstead Turnpike.”

Christine Linsalato, Heatherwood’s senior director of development, added, “It’s going from a dreary, dilapidated building to something that’s active. It’s going to create a safer, walkable environment for the people that live in the surrounding areas. It’s really just an amazing transformation for the community.”

West Hempstead residents and business owners said they are excited for the potential for a complex that enhances residents’ quality of life and fills Long Island’s need for high–quality rentals.

“It presents a golden opportunity not just for our local businesses, but for everybody,” Marshall Myers, former president of the West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce, said at the June 1 meeting. “I implore you as members of the chamber, and also as citizens of our community, to tell everybody you meet and everywhere you shop that this is coming.”

While the project still requires some permits, Patrick said the outlook is highly positive moving forward, and the apartments should be completed in 2027.

Anyone with further questions about the project can contact Lansalato at clansilato@heatherwood.com.