In 1978, advocates sought affordable homes in a New York town; nearly 50 years and a landmark court battle later, a $98 million community with 145 homes is finally complete
A proposal that began as a fight for affordable housing in a Long Island community in 1978 has finally resulted in 145 affordable homes. Matinecock Court, a nearly $98 million affordable housing development in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County, was completed in 2026 after decades of legal and political obstacles. The development’s origins are closely tied to Housing Help Inc. and the Huntington Branch of the NAACP, which challenged Huntington’s restrictions on multifamily housing. The dispute eventually became a landmark Fair Housing Act case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the project’s completion on September 2, 2026, describing it as the culmination of a decades-long effort. According to the New York Governor’s Office announcement, the project now provides 145 limited-equity cooperative homes, including units for veterans and people with disabilities. The original federal court proceedings provide the legal history behind the unusually long journey.
A housing proposal begins
The story of Matinecock Court began around 1978, when Housing Help Inc. decided to pursue a subsidised, lower-income housing project in Huntington. The organisation hoped to secure federal Section 8 funding and worked with the Suffolk Community Development Corporation to identify possible locations. Eighteen potential sites were identified in Huntington.But building the proposed development required something the town’s existing zoning rules did not allow. Matinecock Court needed multifamily zoning because the proposed development required a density of roughly 10 to 12 units per acre. Housing Help continued pushing for the necessary zoning change, eventually bringing the dispute into federal court alongside the Huntington Branch NAACP and individual plaintiffs. The case became known as Huntington Branch NAACP v. Town of Huntington.
The battle reaches court
The legal dispute was about more than a single housing project. At its center was the question of whether Huntington’s zoning policies had a discriminatory effect by restricting where multifamily and lower-cost housing could be built. In its 1981 decision, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York addressed the plaintiffs’ claims concerning Huntington’s housing policies and federal housing assistance. The plaintiffs argued that Huntington’s housing plan, including its lack of goals for newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated HUD-assisted rental housing, contributed to the problems facing the proposed project.The case did not end there. The plaintiffs appealed, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the earlier ruling and sent the case back. The litigation continued throughout the 1980s. In 1987, the district court again considered the dispute, including the town’s refusal to provide the multifamily zoning needed for Matinecock Court. The court record noted that the proposed development would have helped provide lower-cost housing in a town where affordable housing was in short supply. The Second Circuit ultimately found that Huntington had violated the Fair Housing Act, and the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that landmark holding in 1988.
A community takes shape
Decades after the original proposal, Matinecock Court has finally become a completed residential community. The development contains 145 limited-equity cooperative homes spread across 17 two-story residential buildings. The homes include one, two and three-bedroom units and are affordable to households earning up to 80% of the area median income.The project also includes housing designed for residents with specific needs. Eight supportive apartments are reserved for people with developmental disabilities, while four homes are reserved for veterans. There are also 15 units designed to accommodate people with mobility disabilities and six for residents with sensory disabilities. The community includes a clubhouse, on-site parking and private outdoor patio areas. Its location also places residents near the Long Island Rail Road’s Northport Station, Suffolk County bus service, schools, shopping, restaurants and a library.
Nearly $98 million investment
The completed development represents an investment of nearly $98 million, assembled through multiple public and private sources. According to the New York Governor’s Office announcement, financing included federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits expected to generate more than $36 million in equity, along with $28 million in subsidy. Additional support came from New York’s Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, Empire State Development and Suffolk County.Matinecock Court was also designed as an all-electric development. Its energy features include heat-pump water heaters, electric heating and cooling, enhanced insulation, LED lighting, Energy Star appliances and low-flow plumbing. The completion marks an unusual endpoint for a housing proposal that began nearly half a century ago. What started in 1978 as an effort to create affordable homes became a prolonged legal fight over zoning and fair housing, eventually reaching the nation’s highest court. Now, that history has a physical result: 145 affordable homes in Huntington, turning a decades-old housing proposal and landmark Fair Housing Act case into a completed community.
