Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
A two-story, mixed-use building was recently proposed for a vacant parcel of land on Middle Country Road in Coram. The building would provide workforce housing apartments, along with a retail shop on the ground floor.
The undeveloped property owned by Bay Shore-based United Veterans Beacon House (UVBH) — an organization that provides support and services for veterans and their families — sits on the corner of Wincoram Way and the south side of Middle Country Road. Roughly three-quarters of an acre in size and shaped like a trapezoid, the lot abuts a commercial building that is home to a flooring and carpet company.
During a Brookhaven Town Planning Board meeting last month, a representative for UVBH from Labcrew Engineering in Ronkonkoma presented the project as a 5,059-square-foot, two-story mixed-use building with three one-bedroom apartments upstairs and a retail portion on the first floor.
The representative noted the neighborhood is a very busy area.
“You can almost say it is Main Street in Coram,” he said.
The affordable house units would be less than 600 square feet each and limited to one person per unit. The tenant would need to meet certain criteria set by the UVBH to rent. There will be a separate entrance in the rear of the structure with stairs and an elevator to access the second floor apartment units. The property sits within the Longwood School District.
While the representative said it was still in the planning stages, he also noted that the proposal called for a custom woodshop, where items such as Adirondack chairs, flower boxes and bird houses would be made to be sold at retail on premises on the first floor. United Way LI will manage the first floor and oversee the woodworking shop and retail.
Parking will be in a lot behind the building to the south. Plans say 16 stalls are required but 18 will be provided, two of which will have EV charging stations. A natural buffer of about 13,500 square feet will remain undisturbed on the southern portion of the lot.
A bike rack and benches are also planned for the property.
A letter read at the meeting from the Coram Civic Association stated that they were not in favor of the project.
Top photo: Courtesy rendering of the project.
