Groundbreaking for the latest community, Avalon Pines here, is scheduled for Friday morning and the 450-apartment complex is expected to be ready for lease-up in late 2004. "In general there is a need for multifamily on Long Island," says Rashid Walker. "There is definitely a dearth of that here. We do feel we are filling a void."

The new high-end community joins four other Avalon communities in the area: Avalon Towers in Long Beach, Avalon at Glen Cove, Avalon Commons in Smithtown and Avalon Court in Melville. And, although the Virginia-based developer focuses on luxury multifamily communities, some do contain an affordable housing element, such as Avalon Court. The company does not necessarily make the decision to include an affordable housing aspect to a project from the outset, but the decision is made depending on the market—there is no set formula, Walker adds.

"Our core competence is to develop in high barrier-to-entry markets," he says. And with the need for multifamily developments on Long Island, AvalonBay plans to stay in the market. "We are here for the long haul. Long Island can use multifamily properties so we are committed to the market."Avalon Pines has a mix of one- and two-bedroom units and townhomes. The one-bedroom units range from 768 sf to 1,081 sf; two-bedroom units range from 1,093 sf to 1,413 sf; and the townhomes range from 1,302 sf to 1,495 sf. Rental rates were not available. Unit amenities include side-by-side washer and dryer, private balcony or patio, walk-in closets, cable television hook-up and high-speed Internet jacks. Community amenities include tennis courts, dog runs, a fitness center, business center and an indoor basketball court. Adjacent to Avalon Pines—and built by AvalonBay Communities—is a 51-acre park with two lighted baseball fields.