Planned Westbury Commons apartment complex gets key MTA approval
Rendering of Gotham Organization’s planned mixed-use, multi-family project at the site of a former MTA parking lot at the Westbury LIRR station. Credit: MTA
A Westbury apartment complex received approval Wednesday from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board to build 184 apartments on a long-closed commuter parking lot.
GO Westbury LLC, an affiliate of the Manhattan-based developer Gotham Organization, entered a 99-year ground lease with the MTA valued at $15.5 million, paving the way for the first housing development approved on Long Island Rail Road-owned land.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has encouraged building housing on underutilized, state-owned land, including MTA parking lots, as a way to increase the state's housing supply. The Westbury project exemplifies that kind of transit-oriented development, said Janno Lieber, the MTA's chair and CEO.
"Westbury is revitalizing its downtown with a more walkable and dynamic environment that brings new housing within steps of the LIRR, connecting residents to jobs, education and opportunities throughout the region," he said in a statement.
The lease follows Westbury Village's site plan approval last month of the $100 million, five-story building, which will include 2,000 square feet of ground floor retail.
Gotham plans to start construction next year, pending village building department approvals, and will start leasing in 2029, the company said.
The development will also include a public plaza and 254 ground-level and underground parking spots.
The village required the complex, called Westbury Commons, to include 10% of its units, or 19 apartments, as affordable housing for people earning 80% or less of the area median income.
This year, that limit is $92,050 for an individual or $105,200 for a couple.
Gotham Organization won a request for proposals to develop the MTA-owned site, which also received proposals from developers Terwilliger & Bartone, L+M Development and Tritec.
The MTA solicited proposals for the lot in 2021 following the completion of a 683-space parking garage north of the train station that was built in connection with its addition of a third track along the LIRR's Main Line from Floral Park to Hicksville.
Westbury Commons is one of several new apartment buildings planned for the area around the Westbury train station. Alpine Residential received a $5 million economic development grant earlier this week from Empire State Development toward a 187-unit complex near the train station.
Cornerstone Westbury, a 131-unit building on Railroad Avenue, opened in 2023.
Gotham's plan fits with the village's vision for creating a more vibrant downtown, said Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro.
"The project will create a new gateway on the southern end of our downtown as well as new housing opportunities for our residents," he said in a statement.
Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.
