The thick, marshy forest that once stood at the end of Alto Avenue has disappeared as silhouettes of new homes rise in its place.
By next year, 35 single-family townhouses will be built, a $12 million project aimed at creating homes for middle-income workers.Louis Larizza, the project's developer, first eyed the 4 acres for development seven years ago. Some $3.5 million from the county and $900,000 from the state propelled the project, which includes building a road that connects Fox Island Road to the new homes. The village owned the land and sold it to the county before Larizza bought it for $1. A small parcel that was privately owned was also acquired.
Construction began in May and Larizza, a Port Chester native, hopes to put the homes up for sale in June. They will cost $200,000 and be offered to families who make up to 80 percent of the county's median income. The median income for the county is $96,500 for a family of four. Eligible applicants will be chosen from a lottery and must get approved for a mortgage.
"I love doing moderate-income housing," Larizza said, noting that he also built affordable housing on Sands Street and West Street. "You help people who are first-time homeowners. They live in an apartment their whole lives and they can a buy a home for the first time. It's a good feeling."
The Rev. Bruce Baker, a member of the village's affordable- housing subcommittee and pastor of All Souls Parish, said Larizza's 35 units were a good start, but not enough.....
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