By Juliana Calção
J Bono Real Estate Corp, a real estate business that has operated on Long Island for more than 50 years, is seeking to expand an apartment complex that it owns.
The village’s planning board met on March 9 at Babylon Town Hall to discuss Oak Gardens of Copiague on Great Neck Road. Approval would allow construction of a complex built directly across from the existing one and expansion of the primary apartment complex.
Project overview
John Bono, chief executive officer at J Bono Real Estate Corp, and his team sought plan site approval for the property’s zone to include multiple residences.
The retail space in the first building would gain an additional unit, increasing the total to seven one-bedroom units. The change would align it with the proposed secondary complex, a two-story 3,189 square-foot apartment building with eight one-bedroom units.
This open space would replace a two-story building demolished in the southwestern part of the property. Chairman Patrick Halpin praised the application during the meeting, saying that he and the board were pleased by the planning behind the project and its effort to beautify the area.
Halpin also cited the potential contribution to development and private sector investment. As of press time, the proposal not been approved by the board yet due to needed revisions.
Community outreach
“I like to know who my tenants are,” Bono said. “Know them by face, know who I’m dealing with.”
Bono said he aims to make his properties enjoyable and livable — properties that he would want to “live in himself.”
Aesthetics aside, he cited the demand for apartments for young working-class individuals and adults looking to move. Bono also noted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push for affordable housing in New York City, adding that an increased number of apartments on Long Island would be a step toward what many are calling an affordable housing crisis.
“There’s a need for apartments,” Bono said. “But the price is going to be up there too because it’s so costly to construct them.”
He cited a recent increase in his sewage bill. One complex went from $6,000 a year to $13,000. “Each property went up between $7,000 and $10,000 per building I have.”
Architect’s aesthetic input
Herald Gebhard, an architect based in Lindenhurst, works for J Bono Real Estate Corp. He designed the proposed changes and additions to the Oak Gardens of Copiague property.
The process involves learning what the neighborhood looks like to design a structure that relates to the surrounding area, with the goal of enhancing the community.
“Beauty is one of the most important aspects of it [planning a building]. You’ve got to create something that’s going to be pleasing for the neighborhood to look at and also for your clients,” Gebhard said. “So, the design of the building, the aesthetics, is of utmost importance.”
Resident’s opposition
“In the last five or six years, it’s been nothing but apartment buildings that are going up,” said Cristina Gambino, a local who has lived in Copiague for sixteen years. “Squeezing the apartment buildings in little spaces. Wherever they can fit an apartment building, an apartment building is going up.”
Gambino said she recognizes the benefits of apartment living for certain people, noting it works for those who are not looking to purchase a house. However, she said the trend raises concerns about traffic and population growth.
As a driver, she said Oak Street and Great Neck Road are most affected by apartment buildings.
“If you’re coming onto Great Neck Road and taking it down, let’s say, Montauk Highway, it’s a forever ride,” Gambino said. “There’s always been traffic, but it’s 10 times worse now because of all the apartment buildings that are in the area.”
She said that anyone who visits her does their best to avoid driving on Great Neck Road. She added, “I try to take some back roads because otherwise I’m never getting home.”
As for population, Gambino said that more apartment buildings lead to more children entering the local school district, noting that classes are already crowded.
From an aesthetic standpoint, Gambino said the buildings are not objectionable at first glance. The issue is that they change the town’s overall look.
“It feels like I’m in the city now with all these apartment buildings. It doesn’t feel like we’re living in a suburban neighborhood,” Gambino said. “It feels like when I lived in Queens, just trying to get places and trying to find parking spots.”
She continued, saying that people usually move from boroughs such as Queens and Brooklyn to Long Island because of those annoyances.
“There was a home for sale and I knew one of the couples that was going to look at it. So I spoke to them after,” Gambino said. “The first thing that they said, that was the biggest turnoff, was the amount of traffic, or how long it took to get from point A to point B, again, because every corner, apartment buildings are going up.”
