Lottery opens for 80 affordable apartments in One Carleton Green project Central Islip

Apartment hunters rejoice: A new housing lottery is open for 80 affordable apartments at One Carleton Green, a mixed-use development in Central Islip.

Developer Georgica Green Ventures opened the lottery on July 16, with applications due by Sept. 14. The lottery drawing will be Sept. 28 for apartments renting from $863 to $2,864 per month.

The average asking rent in Central Islip for market-rate units is $2,726 per month, according to CoStar, which provides commercial real estate data and analytics.

The apartments are open to Long Islanders earning between 30% and 100% of the area median income. Program guidelines indicate that could range from $25,890 for a single person looking for a studio, to $164,300 for a 2- to 4-person household seeking a two-bedroom apartment.

“This lottery represents another milestone in our commitment to revitalizing downtown Central Islip,” Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said in an emailed statement, referencing efforts following a $10 million downtown revitalization grant from the state in 2018. “One Carleton Green, financed through New York State Homes and Community Renewal, brings 80 affordable units to a neighborhood that continues to transform through the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, giving families the opportunity to call our community home.”

The project on Carleton Avenue has received more than $40 million in tax credit and grant programs from New York State Homes and Community Renewal; $5.5 million from Empire State Development through Central Islip's downtown revitalization grant and a fund for development on Long Island; and nearly $3.5 million from Suffolk County.

The Town of Islip Industrial Development Agency also provided tax breaks for the project, Newsday has reported. Through a payment in lieu of taxes agreement, the developers will pay nearly $3.9 million over 30 years to the town. Other IDA tax breaks include a $1.6 million sales tax exemption and nearly $541,000 in mortgage recording tax savings.

The $65 million development will open before the end of the year, said Jana Gale, director of communications and creative for Georgica Green Ventures, which developed the project with Hauppauge-based Kulka.

The 96-unit three-story apartment building includes nine studios, 62 one-bedroom and 25 two-bedroom apartments. Fifteen of the apartments will be accessible for tenants with mobility, hearing and vision impairments. One apartment will be for the building superintendent, Gale said in an email.

The development includes 15 units for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, with services provided by Family Residences and Essential Enterprises Inc., according to Georgica Green Ventures.

Amenities include 15 vehicle charging stations, bike racks and a fitness room. The apartment complex also includes an open lobby, two elevators, an on-site management office, a mail and package room, trash rooms, and a laundry room on each floor.

The development features 5,626 square feet of ground-floor retail space, with tenants still to be determined, according to Gale. The transit-oriented development is near the Central Islip Long Island Rail Road station, a Suffolk County Transit bus stop and major highways.

The building parking lot was once home to MacKenzie Chemical Works, a chemical manufacturer that operated at the site until 1987, Newsday has reported. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated the location a Superfund site in 2001. A cleanup was concluded in 2020.

Apartment hunters interested in the units at One Carleton Green can apply online through the New York State Housing Search Portal at housingsearch.hcr.ny.gov, or mail their application to Georgica Property Management, PO Box 151, Glen Cove, NY 11542. Each household may submit only one application.

Georgica Green Ventures has outlined further details about the lottery and eligibility guidelines online at ggvllc.com/lottery.