Ribbon-cutting in Bay Shore: Shoregate opens its doors

In downtown Bay Shore on May 21, local civic leaders, elected officials, and real estate developers alike gathered for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening of Shoregate, the 418 unit luxury apartment complex.

Located at 143 4th Avenue, Shoregate is positioned in the heart of Bay Shore:  across the street from the Bay Shore train station, one block North of Montauk Highway, and a half mile walk from the Fire Island ferries. The 418 units sitting on the 10.3-acre property range from studios to three bedroom units.

The sheer amount of amenities at the luxury complex seem to be never-ending; interior and exterior amenity spaces include a fitness and aerobics center, pet spa, golf simulator, clubrooms, lounges, game rooms, co-working spaces, a swimming pool, barbecue stations, firepits, and a rooftop deck. Believe it or not, there are more amenities, but a newspaper only has so many pages.   

Thanks to the support of a $2.5 million subsidy from the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning, which aided in purchasing the land, 84 units have been set aside as affordable housing, and deemed affordable to people making 80 percent of the average median income of the area.

Despite the official opening being held this weekend, Shoregate is already home to many; it is over 51 percent leased, and over 30 percent occupied.

Speeches given during the ribbon-cutting ceremony gave insight into the history of the land, and the process of how the Shoregate property transformed from a mere idea to a tangible development. Among those who spoke were TRITEC executive vice president and partner, Kevin Law; TRITEC executive vice president and partner, Kelly Coughlan; Islip Town supervisor, Angie Carpenter; Suffolk County executive, Ed Romaine; TRITEC principal and co-founder, James Coughlan; president of the Greater Bay Shore Chamber of Commerce Donna Perricone; President and CEO of the Long Island Association, Matt Cohen; Long Island Business Institute CEO, Mike Florio; and TRITEC principal and co-founder, Bob Coughlan.

The land had previously been the site of the Touro College health sciences building. Upon learning that Touro had been interested in selling in 2018, local lawyer Howard Stein—a dear friend of the Coughlan family who served on the board of Touro—informed TRITEC that the new site could be up for sale.

Members of the TRITEC team approached Carpenter, and Greater Bay Shore Chamber of Commerce president, Donna Perricone, about their idea.

“From our perspectives, those were two very important meetings. We only want to go where we are wanted.,” explained Coughlan.”We had Supervisor Carpenter and Donna Perricone, the two most powerful women in the region, supporting our project. We knew if both of the women were supporting the project, the community would too.”

After extensive planning and meeting with Suffolk County, the Town of Islip Office of Economic Development, rezoning the property to the Downtown Development District, and jumping through hurdles caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Shoregate dream slowly became a reality.

A shared sentiment echoed throughout the ribbon-cutting ceremony was the necessity for multi-family housing and affordable housing on Long Island.

“In the 1970s, 50 percent of houses were households of two married adults with kids, and less than 10 percent of households were one person,” explained  James Coughlan. “Nowadays, only 25 percent of our households are two married adults with kids in the house, and over 20 percent of our households are one person. Yet, our housing stock has barely changed. We are still dramatically under supplied with multi-family.”

“We have a housing crisis here on Long Island, and TRITEC strives to be at the forefront to help resolve these issues,” said Kelly Coughlan. “These projects have a significant impact on our economy, our environment, and the communities in which we work. It is vital that these projects be done thoughtfully and in collaboration with local community partners.”

Schedule a tour and learn more at www.shoregateli.com.