Cover photo: Nancy Ormeo cuts the ribbon on her new home (Credit – Matt Meduri)
The Christmas season is one of joy and hope, among many other ideals, but the New Year season is also a time for new beginnings and turnover.
A North Bellport family is able to experience both this holiday season, by finally moving into a newly-constructed home, in part financed by the Long Island Housing Partnership (LIHP), on land acquired by the Town of Brookhaven for the specific purpose of revitalizing the area.
The home, currently appraised at $490,000 market value, was purchased by Nancy Ormeo for about $290,000. Federal grant funds contributed $45,000, with $75,000 from the State due to the property’s location in a community land trust, and $31,000 through private grants vis-à-vis LIHP.
“It is a process,” said LIHP President Peter Elkowitz to Ormeo and her daughter Mariela, specifically regarding her own tenacity throughout the rigorous process. Mortgage counseling, construction, and other delays kept the process in the air throughout the year.
But Ormeo, her daughter, and her son Emmanuel, endured the mentally taxing process to end the year on the highest of notes.
“Today is a joyous day for everyone, not only the homeowner, but this is part of the renewal of North Bellport,” said Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches), who made revitalizing the North Bellport community a key campaign and inauguration promise. “Whether it be a single-family home like this, the thirty-two homes that we are building that will permanently be affordable, the transit-oriented development (TOD) by the Bellport LIRR Station, or new rental housing units, you’re joining a community that is truly on the rise and it’s because of the efforts of the people present here.”
“It’s wonderful for us at the Town to work in concert with all of these amazing organizations to be able to provide this opportunity to a wonderful family,” said Councilman Michael Loguercio (R-Ridge).
County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) also stopped by to welcome the family to their home, as well as remark on the endeavors of his twelve years as Brookhaven Town Supervisor and the first Housing and Community Development Coordinator in the Town.
“As Supervisor, I was very concerned that we invest in stock, making sure that this neighborhood is safe, affordable, and community-oriented,” said Romaine. “The one lesson we’ve learned today, it takes a lot of hands to make something happen. Now that this has happened, let’s keep the momentum going.”
The North Bellport property on Meade Avenue, just south of Sunrise Highway, is part of the 72H Transfer Program, a State law that allows Suffolk County to transfer parcels of land to municipalities for the construction and/or rehabilitation of affordable housing.
“The beginning of my search for a home was very difficult,” Nancy Ormeo told attendees. “I’m a single mother of two kids and I feel like I made good money, but with the high prices and inflation, it’s difficult for a home to be affordable.”
Ormeo, an original resident of Bay Shore, moved to Elmont in Nassau County, but described her family remaining in Suffolk as the primary motivator to move back home.
“My sister lives in Mastic and my brother lives in Central Islip. I figured being in the middle between both of them would be great,” Ormeo told The Messenger.
“Anyone who watches Channel 18 sees us tear down homes,” said Panico. “And while those tear-downs are necessary at times, we also want to be part of building homes and helping people put roots in the community.”
“The most upsetting part of being in government is representing people who have truly given up hope on government, because people hear a lot during the campaign cycle and those promises don’t materialize after the campaign,” Panico told The Messenger. “I’ve made it a part to redouble my efforts in communities that really need help from government.”
Panico points to not only North Bellport, but parts of his native Mastic Beach, as well as parts of Shirley, Coram, and Gordon Heights as areas within Brookhaven that require help from the Town.
“But where the town’s authority can help people, we should do everything we can to lift communities up and lift people up and show them that government can function and function for the betterment of everyone,” said Panico. “So many communities, I find, unfortunately, are just not given the attention they deserve.”
Panico also says that the home’s appraisal at nearly half-a-million dollars in market value signals that not only is the North Bellport community “on the rise,” but that the housing market in Suffolk and in Brookhaven are high as well. He also says that the residents’ overwhelming approval of seventy units near the Boys and Girls Club on Atlantic Avenue is a sign that change isn’t only desired, it’s overdue.
Meanwhile, $4.5 million in the form of a Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant from New York State will be used “surrounding” the Atlantic Avenue redevelopment, Panico says. The Supervisor was instrumental in securing those funds that were presented by Governor Kathy Hochul (D) herself in Kings Park in January. He also speaks highly of the thirty-two “permanently affordable” homes in the works, since those homes have accessory apartments attached to them.
“It’s a piece-by-piece effort of renewing a community. It comes down to even simply ensuring there’s no litter, replacing graffitied stop signs, and replacing street signs missing the names of the roads,” said Panico.
For the Town, it’s an example of where government can help well within their authority, as well as the ability to say “promises made, promises kept.” For the community of North Bellport, it’s yet another drop in the bucket in what many hope will be a revitalized community in the near future.
But for Nancy Ormeo and her family, this is a defining moment in their own lives, and with no better timing for them to be “home for the holidays” in North Bellport.
