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Business & Tech

Young Adult Alliance Supports Four Corners Proposal

Group says lower priced housing needed to keep young professionals on Long Island.

With looming, approximately 30 professionals from the Young Adult Alliance of Action Long Island visited community and government members at TRITEC Real Estate Company’s 31 West Main Street building on Friday to support the vote.

The group was presented TRITEC's , which consists of 291 apartments to be constructed at the Four Corners of Patchogue where the vacated Sweezy's Department store currently stands.

Jean-Marie Smith, a Task Force Coordinator for the organization, said the group is a business advocacy group that, in the case of the visit to Patchogue, is supporting efforts to help young professionals find housing.

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“We want to work towards the future of Long Island because right now [young professionals] can not afford to buy a home,” said Smith.

Towards that goal, a new group was formed specifically for young adults more than three years ago.

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“The Young Adult Alliance is a coalition of organizations who have a vested interest in young adults and keeping them on Long Island,” Smith said.

Louis Imbroto, a coordinator of the alliance, said that the organization supports the plan since it puts apartments at market rate and below market-rate costs in a downtown area.

“It’s much more amenable to the young adult lifestyle and financial ability,” Imbroto said.

The rates for the apartments at the current rate of inflation begin at $1,200 per month for a studio when below market rates and upwards to $2,600 a month for a three-bedroom unit at market rate said Rob Loscalzo, the chief operating officer for TRITEC at a recent work session at Patchogue Village.

Young professional Samantha Vigliotta, who is originally from Westhampton, is currently renting a co-op in Patchogue Village with her husband. 

“I’m a realist and I know that with something like this problems will arise as well. However, a project like [TRITEC] would be fantastic because it’s something that we can afford to rent while still saving money to put towards a home in Patchogue,” Vigliotta said.

However, other local residents are not comfortable with placing residential housing in the prominent section of Main Street. Larice Fiala, president of the , said that many of the business owners in the chamber are concerned the housing could become part of the Section 8 program.

"We don't think that it's the right thing; we prefer to wait another couple of years and get the right business on the Four Corners,” Fiala said.

Originally the construction of a hotel was approved as part of the Four Corners plan, but . A then had to be created

“I think that the original concept [of a hotel] was good. The economy is starting to turn a little bit so I feel that it would be best to be a little patient," Fiala said.

The vote for the proposed New Village plan is tonight at , 14 Baker Street, at 7 p.m.

Krystle DiNicola and Michael Sorrentino contributed to this story.

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