A Medford-based nonprofit developer is a step closer to converting a former Catholic school on Long Island into housing.
The Town of Islip approved zoning changes last month for a 176-unit housing project that will lead to the conversion of the former Academy of St. Joseph into affordable units while preserving the Spanish Colonial Revival-style buildings’ historic features, Newsday reported. The project represents a 36-unit increase from developer Concern Housing’s initial 140-unit proposal and a $20 million cost increase from the original $100 million budget.
The $120 million development, dubbed Joseph’s Village, will occupy 500,000 square feet across a 15.5-acre portion of the 212-acre Sisters of St. Joseph campus. Concern agreed to acquire the three academy buildings for $6.8 million, pending approval by the state Attorney General.
The unit mix includes 139 studios, 33 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom apartments. Approximately half the units will serve as supportive housing for veterans with behavioral health conditions, seniors and adults with disabilities.
Income restrictions will cap eligibility at 60 percent of the area median income: $69,300 for individuals and $79,200 for couples per HUD guidelines. Preliminary rent estimates range from $1,275 to $1,575 for studios, $1,365 to $1,665 for one-bedroom units and $1,620 to $1,995 for two-bedroom apartments.
Concern Housing will utilize low-income housing and historic tax credits to fund the project and plans additional aid applications to the state and Suffolk County. The project requires infrastructure improvements including a new sewage plant, though existing parking accommodations through a partnership with Eastern Suffolk BOCES addressed site accessibility concerns.
The academy operated from 1903 until 2009, serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The Sisters of St. Joseph has owned the campus since 1896, maintaining various programs including pre-K and after-school services that have relocated elsewhere on the property.
Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, president of the Sisters of St. Joseph, cited affordable housing needs among the organization’s employees as motivation for the project.
Nonprofit executive director Ralph Fasano expects strong demand based on Concern’s recent Hempstead development, which received nearly 1,700 applications for 53 units. Construction is scheduled to begin next year, with completion targeted for 2028, extending the original 2027 timeline.
The conversion will preserve the National Register of Historic Places-listed buildings’ brick facade with terracotta trim, marble entry walls and stained glass windows. Rob Beyer, a real estate investor and Concern Housing volunteer specializing in historic preservation, is overseeing the restoration elements.
Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter praised the adaptive reuse approach for addressing local housing needs.
— Holden Walter-Warner
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