Village of Mineola adds incentive for affordable homes

The Village of Mineola is officially adding the state's development incentive bonus law to its code.

At a meeting last week, the board of trustees voted unanimously, 5-0, to adopt a local law that would set aside affordable housing units.

In order to qualify for an incentive bonus, applicants building residential or mixed-use developments must allocate at least 10 percent of units for affordable workforce housing. Families at or below 80 percent of the Nassau-Suffolk median income would be eligible.

Village Attorney John P. Gibbons Jr. said the board had noticed other municipalities incorporating the state law into their codes, and decided to follow suit.

"Not a lot of people are familiar with it," Gibbons said, adding that the amendment would make the village's development process smoother. The village has previously alerted developers to the state's development incentive bonus law. With this new amendment, Gibbons said this occurrence would likely be less frequent.

The amendment will be effective upon filing with the secretary of state, likely at the end of this week, Gibbons said.