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A closed golf course will soon give rise to senior housing and a new course in Setauket in the coming years.
Earlier in 2021, construction began on a senior complex that will provide 200 rental homes for people 55 and older at the site of Heatherwood Golf Club’s 18-hole golf course that has been closed since early 2020.
15 percent of the rental homes, one- to three-bedroom units, are also being set aside for affordable housing. Amenities will include courts for tennis, pickle ball and bocce, a pool, and indoor and outdoor fitness areas.
The property will also boast a new, 9-hole golf course that will encompass the residential complex. Open to both residents and non-residents, the course is expected to be completed in 2023 or 2024, depending on grow-in schedule and seasonality according to the Heatherwood Golf Redevelopment webpage.
The senior living complex was first proposed and approved in 2014, but its site plan and building permits weren’t approved until this summer, a process partially slowed by a battle over tax breaks. Heatherwood Golf and Villas requested $2 million to $7 million in tax breaks from Brookhaven Town Industrial Development Agency, which were rejected in 2019 according to TBR News Media.
The proposal was also met with community backlash.
When he was president of the Three Village Civic Association, Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich was among those who opposed Heatherwood’s plans.
“It’s gonna create a lot of traffic over there because there’s no entry or exit onto [New York State Route] 347,” Kornreich said. “Even if there was, it would be a big contributor of traffic. The traffic is already a mess at that intersection and it’s going to be bad.”
According to the developer’s website, the left-hand turn lane on Arrowhead Lane, where the entryway to the complex will be located, is slated to be extended as per the approved plan to mitigate some traffic concerns.
The bus stop on Nesconset Highway will also be relocated to the east.
Kornreich said he expects construction on the housing component to be completed by next summer. Pre-leasing will start early next year, the website reads.
