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A 245-unit, age-restricted community called The Vistas is under construction on North Bicycle Path in Port Jefferson Station, just two miles from Port Plaza shopping center home to Uncle Giuseppe’s and PJ Cinemas.
The project is being developed by Garden City-based The Benjamin Companies.
The 55-and-over gated community will encompass a previously undeveloped 27-acre site and features a total of 28 residential buildings plus a 7,000 square-foot clubhouse. The rental units consist of 67 two-bedroom duplex townhouses with garages along with 142 two-bedroom and 36 one-bedroom garden-style apartments.
Townhomes will be two-story units and the apartments will all be on one floor.
The clubhouse will include amenities for an active community including a kitchen, bar, card and billiard rooms, a gym, pilates and yoga studios, an outdoor pool, a sundeck with seating, fire pits and barbecues.
A spat of age-restricted and multifamily communities are being developed in the area all at once, including a Bristal Assisted Living facility and a proposed millennial housing community both in Mount Sinai, a transit-oriented development planned for upper-Port Jefferson, and a new mixed-unit property on Main Street in Port Jefferson.
Russell Mohr, a vice president at The Benjamin Companies, said that studies conducted by his company prove there is a desire for this type of housing in the region.
“Based on demographics and Long Islanders aging in place the need for senior rental housing has been in great demand,” he told GreaterPortJeff.
The Benjamin Companies has been around for more than 50 years and specializes in developing residential and commercial properties. Other notable projects include The Greens at Half Hollow in Melville, Court Plaza Senior Apartments and Islip Landing in Central Islip, and Arverne By The Sea in Rockaway, Queens. According to the company’s website, Arverne-By-The-Sea was recognized as a model smart-growth community and is the largest revitalization project in the Northeast, with 2,300 homes and over 120,000 square feet of retail space.
Mohr said that traffic concerns were addressed during the zoning period and turning lanes will be installed on Bicycle Path to accommodate cars entering and exiting the community.
The one-bedroom apartments will rent for $1,995 and two-bedroom units will start at $2,295 per month. The project includes 15 percent affordable on various levels of income restrictions.
The developer anticipates a sales office to open on Aug. 1 to start leasing units. Mohr said they hope to have models open for viewing by that time but will have presentations available where prospective renters where people can view a virtual walk-through and floor plans.
They expect work to be completed and ready for occupancy in by early October or mid-November of this year.
Scroll down to see photos.
Designs provided by The Benjamin Companies.
