Omni Housing Development, LLC begins $33 million revitalization project

Hardhats are in fashion at the site of Rockville Centre's only low-income housing complex. Rockville Centre Apartments, where Omni Housing Development, LLC is beginning a $33 million makeover of the nine, 35 year old buildings that have seen better days. State and local officials taking part in the symbolic sledge hammering included: New York State senator Dean Seklos, NYS assemblyman Robert Barra, Nassau County Office of Housing & Intergovernmental Affairs director, Rosemary Olsen, Housing Authority chairman Gary Kondor, village mayor Mary Bossart, Connie Lassandro, director of Nassau County's Office of Housing and Homeless Services and Duncan Barrett, COO, Omni Housing Development, LLC. Funding for the project is provided by Nassau County IDA bond, Nassau County HOME grant, Rockville Center Housing Authority, Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity, through WNC Associates, New York State DHCR Modernization grant, construction and permanent loans from M&T Bank. County executive Suozzi's Housing Plan encourages innovative redevelopment projects such as this. Nassau County has supported this project in Rockville Center through the HUD CDBG program, the HUD Housing Choice Voucher program, and Nassau IDA Financing and will continue with gap funding through the HUD Home Assistance Partnership Act Program. This marks the beginning of phase one of the nine-phase project, with Omni Housing Development replacing roofs, installing new kitchens, baths and energy-efficient insulation, as well as replacing windows and heating systems. According to Duncan Barrett, Building 7, which is the first of the nine buildings to undergo the transformation, will be ready for occupancy in March of 2008. "The first one takes the longest," Barrett said. "And as the project gains momentum, we fully expect all 154 units to be completed by September of 2009." Residents of the current 120 apartments have been relocated within the complex, and will be moved to the rehabbed apartments as they become available. For the remaining apartments, there are already 1,000 people on the waiting list. The Rockville Center Housing Authority will act as management agent during rehab and will continue to add prospective tenants to the existing list. Since 2001, Omni Housing Development LLC has specialized in the development, financing, construction and management of affordable housing, collaborating on dozens of community and private projects from 13 senior housing units in New York's Capital District to 692 apartments in Baltimore, Md.