North Sea-Mecox Road Workforce Housing Development Will Feature up to 10 New Affordable Units

The lot has been cleared, the stumps are covered in snow, and signs announcing that a new housing development is coming are hoisted along the road for all to see. So what’s going on at 90 North Sea-Mecox Road in North Sea?

Plans are shaping up for new affordable housing opportunities at the 3.19-acre site after what town documents indicate has been a roughly two-year review of the parcel and its possibilities.

The Southampton Housing Authority is pursuing a workforce housing development at the location and submitted an application to the Town Planning Board and to the Suffolk County Health Department to “vet all possibles for this site,” said Curtis Highsmith, executive director of the housing authority.

The initial goal, said Highsmith, was to apply for a six-lot subdivision at the site and propose six single-family homes there with accessory apartments.

The housing authority also considered introducing two-family homes on each lot “to expand the possibility of more much-needed affordable housing units,” he said.

After meetings with the North Sea Civic Association and community members and neighbors, however, there was “greater supporter for pursuing a zoning change to arrange the site into a residential cul-de-sac,” said Highsmith, who supports the zoning change.

It’s unclear how many units can be built there based on county health department rules, but Highsmith said it would likely be between eight and 10 homes, and that “all proposed units will be for sale to first-time homebuyers” when construction is completed.

A final design has yet to be completed by architect Ryan Kesner, but the homes will be around 1,200 square feet, said Highsmith.

A final price for the units hasn’t been determined, but Highsmith said it would fall under the federal Housing and Urban Development agency’s affordable housing price point.