“We have gotten to the end of the lottery list for the higher-income applicants and welcome any new applicants we could potentially get qualified quickly and make an immediate offer of a rental opportunity at Gansett Meadow,” said Catherine Casey, executive director of the East Hampton Housing Authority, in an email to The Star on Dec. 21.
There are seven apartments at the new affordable housing complex in Amagansett that have yet to be assigned to a lessee, and two three-bedroom apartments and a one-bedroom apartment available at market rates. The latter three are open to families or individuals making up to 90 percent of the adjusted mean income for the area, a number that is set by the federal Housing and Urban Development Agency.
All income-based leases are thoroughly vetted during the application process. For instance, the rent on the three-bedroom apartments is $2,660. It may seem high, Ms. Casey said, “but anyone searching for a three-bedroom rental anywhere in East Hampton, much less Amagansett, will find $3,000 is the going rate.” The gross household income cap for those units is $102,600 to $132,210.
The rents are designed to be 30 percent of a household’s gross income, therefore “affordable,” she said, though that is “a relative term.”
Sixteen factors go into the renting of affordable units, including gross household income and the number of occupants versus bedrooms. “For example, one single individual cannot lease a three-bedroom apartment, and a household of four cannot lease a one-bedroom,” Ms. Casey said.
Prospective applicants or those seeking more information can visit the East Hampton Housing Authority online: ehhacc.wixsite.com/eh-housing-authority.
