Hempstead IDA / LDC

03/06/2026

New leases at an IDA project.

The two eateries are to be part of the revamp of the Valley Stream's Green Acres Mall, announced in 2024.

02/05/2026

Fairfield exec seeks IDA aid to buy two apartment complexes in Valley Stream.

The sale is still pending the results of a public hearing and a final determination from the Town Industrial Development Agency.

02/05/2026

IDA aids a new Subaru dealership in Hempstead Village/

The dealership is expected to create 70 full-time and 20 part-time jobs.

01/23/2026

Court backs IDAs on affordable housing.

Affordable Senior Housing Qualifies as an IDA “Project” When Rationally Found to Promote Jobs and Prevent Economic Deterioration

01/06/2026

An IDA problject gets under way:

Hudson Valley Property Group acquired a 420-unit Hempstead apartment complex for $107M and plans $23M in renovations to preserve long-term affordable housing.

12/07/2025

Newsday report on a new rental apartment complexed aided by the IDA going up in Island Park:

A new apartment complex is underway on the former Bridgeview Yacht Club site, backed by tax incentives, with the developer confident demand will follow.

12/02/2025

IDA assist for affordable rental apartments in Hempstead Village.

Hempstead IDA grants preliminary tax incentives for a $32M Cooper Street rental project bringing 96 apartments.

12/02/2025

LIBN reports on new apartment project in East Meadow:

Preliminary approval from the Hempstead IDA advances an $8M East Meadow apartment project with 20 units.

11/25/2025

AId for a new apartment project, this one in East Meadow.

Preliminary approval from the Hempstead IDA advances an $8M East Meadow apartment project with 20 units.

11/03/2025

More coverage on the IDA's Downtown Hempstead project:

The lot currently serves as parking space for American Legion Post 390.

10/30/2025

LIBN on new apartment project in Downtown Hempstead:

The Hempstead IDA grants preliminary approval for a $15M, 36-unit apartment project on Marvin Ave., adding affordable and workforce housing downtown.

10/21/2025

Ribbon is cut for an IDA project in Hempstead Village. HPA APPROVES 2026 BUDGET THAT WILL RAISE MAINTENANCE PAYMENTS BY $52 PER QUARTER

By ALAN J. WAX
© 2025 Alan J. Wax

The Huntington Pointe Association (HPA) approved a $5,315,643 budget for 2026 that will add $52 per quarter to each owner’s maintenance payment.

The budget was approved by a 10-0 vote at the HPA board meeting that lasted just under an hour, held on Oct. 20 in the Clubhouse Ballroom and on Zoom.

The new quarterly HPA maintenance figure of $1,273 will be added to each phase’s maintenance payment due to be voted on at their respective budget meetings. Payments will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

HPA Treasurer Phyllis Sander said the biggest expenditures in the budget are for insurance premiums, budgeted at $675,000; labor at $1,067,724, up 8 percent; landscaping $809,999, up $9,000; security at $280,000, up $50,000; and reserve contributions at $1,151,000, up $51,000.

She also noted that costs for utilities are also rising.

As to labor costs, Sandler noted that Huntington Pointe is the “lowest paying community around,” which makes it difficult to hire staff.

Moreover, Sandler said it was difficult to budget for insurance as the amount that is actually needed won’t be known for eight months.

The biggest factor into the HPA increase was a boost in reserves from 2025 from $1,040,000 to $1,151,000 in the 2026 spending plan. Reserve funds will be used over the next year to cover the cost of replanting the hedge along Lake Ida Road, repaving roads and walkways, and for new roofs on the gatehouse and satellite pool houses in future years.

Also a factor behind the higher dues was a more than $75,000 increase in spending for recreation due to maintenance costs for the soon-to-be-reconstructed racquet sports courts.

Prior to the vote, at least one board member, Howard Lynne, of Phase 3, recommended that the figure for income generated by entertainment in the new budget be increased from $20,000 to $100,000, since last year’s entertainment productions netted HP $40,000 and the 2025 entertainment series could result in a $50,000 profit. “I’d like to make it more realistic based on our experience,” he said. Other board members disagreed saying that past profits may not necessarily be a guide to the future.

Only a handful of owners chimed in.

David Berman, a Phase 1 owner, told the board, “There’s a need for clarification of how you got to these numbers.” He noted that the proposed budget entries were “significantly higher than the inflation rate. Every one of them is close to double-digit increases.” He also asked the board to provide “relief” for owners from the proposed increase in reserves.

Phase 1 owner Rhona Pincus recommended that HPA establish a financial oversight committee to help keep expenses down. “There are ways to save money. … It would be beneficial,” she said.

Boris Spektor, of Phase 2, a long-time critic of HPA’s spending policies, also expressed concern about the need for higher reserve contributions. “Why do you have to do everything in one year?” he asked. As an example, he urged the HPA to reduce the height of the Lake Ida hedge as required by the county instead of replacing it with new plantings. He also questioned the need to replace the roofs on the gatehouse and the pool houses. “Not everything needs to be replaced,” he added.