Ceremony opens mixed-income units in Copiague

Local officials gathered in downtown Copiague last week for a ribbon cutting celebrating the opening of Copiague Commons, a $33.5 million mixed-income housing complex.

The pair of four-story buildings near the train station are centerpieces of the Town of Babylon’s longtime campaign to spur denser transit-oriented development at the heart of the South Shore community.

“It’s the right project, and it’s in the right place,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

“This is what we need to be doing to build strong communities, to build strong downtowns,” he said.

The buildings contain 90 one- and two-bedroom apartments for residents who make up to 60 or 100 percent of area median income, meaning rents between $1,169 and $1,850. Such price points are in painfully short supply in Suffolk’s rental housing market, officials said.

“Too many of our young people are leaving Long Island because they can’t afford to stay here,” said DuWayne Gregory (D-Copiague), presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature.

JoAnn Russo recently moved into a one bedroom in the development. “It’s wonderful,” said Russo, 66. “I’m hoping that this complex brings new life to the rest of Copiague.”