Legislators voted on a measure that will move forward a controversial housing project in East Northport Tuesday.

The proposal for an affordable housing complex, known as Matinecock Court, was first proposed in 1978. It met with intense community opposition and triggered lawsuits that dragged on for decades.

The project consists of 146 affordable housing units, roughly half for sale and half for rent. The project also plans to set aside eight units for adults with developmental disabilities.

The question that legislators faced was whether to release $2.4 million in county funds to build a sewage treatment plant at the site.

Supporters say the affordable housing is desperately needed on Long Island.

Trish Calandra, of Wading River, was one of the speakers who urged Suffolk legislators to support the project. She says she worries about where her two children with autism will live once they are older and she’s no longer able to care for them.  

“It's extremely difficult to find these. We need to create more, and we need to be open to more options. We need to create different opportunities for people with developmental disabilities,” she says.

The complex would be built at the corner of Elwood and Pulaski Roads in East Northport, a busy area that critics say cannot handle a high-density housing complex.

Opponents also say they don't like the idea of taxpayer money being used for the sewage treatment plant at the complex.

After hearing public comments for hours, legislators voted 16-1 in favor of the project.