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Vacant Gibson Blvd. stores gone, building to begin soon

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Residents tired of seeing the vacant storefronts on Gibson Boulevard can breathe a sign of relief, as the demolition of the site is completed and the site is ready to be developed as a new affordable apartment complex, according to Tom McAleer, village building superintendent.

“There has been a permit issued to D and F Development Group of Levittown, who plans to build an apartment complex on the site,” he said.

The 39-unit building will be “family workforce housing,” according to Peter Florey, cofounder and co-owner of the development company. The distinction means the apartments will be rented below the market average to tenants who could not otherwise afford to live in the area, Florey said.

“The apartments will be rented at roughly $1,000 to $1,500 a month,” he said. “The primary reason we decided to rent the apartments at that low level was due to the need. There are a lot of people looking in this area who are young households, young families, and they’re just starting out, so they don’t have the money it would take to rent at the average. This is designed to give them a chance to afford this housing.”

David Sabatino, president of Envision Valley Stream, said he was glad to see more affordable housing come to the village.

“I support this project because there is a need for affordable rental units in our community and across Long Island,” he said. “The location is good because it is near the Gibson train station, other multi-family buildings, and local retail and service-oriented businesses. This developer seems committed to producing an attractive, well-maintained and -managed building.”

With the site razed, Florey said construction would begin in the coming weeks, though it may take some time before residents see major progress.

“Given the time of year, it is kind of up in the air, because we don’t know what the weather will bring,” Florey said. “We hope to begin work at the end of this month, maybe early February, but it will probably take until the spring to start major construction. During the winter it will mostly be excavating the property and establishing the foundation.”

The project, projected for completion in mid-2016, will feature elevated apartments above a ground floor parking garage. McAleer said the building’s 79 parking spots would be more than adequate for the site, and that the developers did not ask for a variance in order to secure more parking. He also said he was glad to see progress at the long-defunct site.

“I think it’s really good that we finally have a plan for this site. It’s been just kind of sitting there for a long time, so it’s good that we’ll have something new going in there.”