Waterfront housing, new inn coming to Hampton Bays

THE SCOOP

Hampton Bays, in addition to its waterfront properties and relatively affordable East End prices, offers Hamptons lovers an easier summer weekend commute from points west.

“Coming from the city, we’d be on the beach before anyone else got farther east,” says Susan von Freddi Gassman, owner of Village Real Estate of the Hamptons and president of the Hampton Bays Beautification Association. “People get stuck in traffic for hours after they leave our area.”

Hampton Bays is the most affordable Hampton, says Todd Bourgard, a longtime Hampton Bays resident and managing broker of the hamlet’s Douglas Elliman Real Estate office. Prices, he says, typically range from the $400,000s to waterfront properties that average between $1.2 million and $2.5 million. The area does boast multimillion-dollar homes, both south of Montauk Highway and along the bays surrounding the hamlet. In 2018, Bourgard sold a $5.7 million home, the highest-priced residential property in the hamlet’s history based on all sold listings recorded by the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island.

Offering a variety of housing styles, including expanded ranches and Postmoderns, Hampton Bays will soon add new waterfront housing.

Ground was broken in June on the Hamptons Boathouses, a 37-unit luxury town house community along the east side of Shinnecock Canal with prices starting at $1.5 million. The complex will offer two- and three-bedroom units with porches and balconies, a waterfront pool and private boat slips. 

Along the west side of the canal, a developer is restoring the historic Canoe Place Inn, the original structure for which was built in the 1600s. The inn, which attracted celebrities and politicians, burned down in 1921 and was rebuilt in 1922. It became a popular wedding and prom venue before becoming a nightclub. The inn has stood vacant in recent years, and its redevelopment is slated to feature a 350-seat catering venue, 20 hotel rooms and five guest cottages.

The projects, von Freddi Gassman says, will add to the beauty of a year-round community, which is surrounded by water.

“We’ve got bay, we’ve got ocean, we’ve got beaches,” she says. 

That includes Meschutt Beach and Ponquogue Beach, the pavilion for which is currently being redeveloped. New fishing piers along the Ponquogue Bridge were recently completed, von Freddi Gassman adds. Hampton Bays is home to the Shinnecock Canal, which has locks that allow access from Shinnecock Bay and Great Peconic Bay.

The area offers multiple parks, including Good Ground Park, a 36-acre park that opened in 2017. It includes playgrounds, trails, benches and an 800-seat amphitheater for concerts and cultural events. 

The Hampton Bays Beautification Association recently replaced an unused driveway at the post office with a rain garden.

As for eateries, “in no other community do they have as many waterfront restaurants as Hampton Bays does,” Bourgard says.   

“It’s a boating community,” he says. “Water sports, fishing, paddle boarding, jet skiing, boating — that’s really what our community is all about.” And he notes that the commercial fishing boats that come into the area via the Shinnecock Inlet make Hampton Bays one of the state’s busiest fishing ports.

Sunrise Highway, Montauk Highway and Route 24 all lead into Hampton Bays, helping residents avoid some of the worst of the summertime traffic.

“On a Friday night, it takes people as long to get from Manhattan to Hampton Bays as it does from Hampton Bays to East Hampton,” Bourgard says. “So, it’s making Hampton Bays very attractive.”

CONDOS AND TOWNHOUSES

There are two condos on the market, price at $695,000 and $749,000, and two co-ops priced at $149,000 and $180,000. 

SALES PRICE

Between Feb. 1, 2018, and Feb. 21, 2019, there were 201 home sales with a median sale price of $500,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price for that period was $255,000 and the high was $5.7 million. During that period a year earlier, there were 202 home sales with a median sale price of $490,000. The price range was $150,000 to $3.02 million.

SCHOOLS

Most students attend Hampton Bays High School.

OTHER STATS

Town: Southampton

Area: 11.5 square miles

ZIP code: 11946

Population: 13,603

Median age: 39.3

Median household income: $77,447

Median home value: $499,500*

LIRR to NYC: Just over 2 hours 10 minutes

Monthly ticket: $500

School district: Hampton Bays

SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;

*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI

RECENTLY SOLD

$445,000

Arbor Ct.

Style: Cape

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2

Built: 1995

Lot size: 0.34 acres

Taxes: $7,026

Reduced: $90,000

Days on the market: 225

$735,000

Harbor Rd.

Style: Contemporary

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 5

Built: 1980

Lot size: 0.77 acres

Taxes: $11,522

Reduced: $14,000

Days on the market: 96

$1.84 million

Nautilus Ct.

Style: Two-story

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 3

Built: 1969

Lot size: 0.41 acres

Taxes: $14,755

Reduced: $59,900

Days on the market: 117

NOW ON THE MARKET

$419,900

This ranch, with two bedrooms and one bathroom, features a living room with a fireplace, a family room/dining room with vaulted ceilings, a kitchen with a breakfast bar and a partially finished basement. The 0.32-acre property also has a detached one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage. Taxes: $6,004. Lisa Skoff, First Hampton International Realty LLC, 631-800-1234

$759,000

This Postmodern, with four bedrooms and 3-1/2 bathrooms, includes a living room with a fireplace, an eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room and a sunroom. The half-acre property also includes an attached two-car garage and an in-ground pool. Taxes: $12,632. Constance Porto and Anne Marie Francavilla, Douglas Elliman Real Estatem, 917-731-4317, 516-509-1609

$1.895 million

This waterfront Colonial, with five bedrooms and 2-1/2 bathrooms, offers a 2,200-square-foot main house with a living room, family room, dining room, eat-in kitchen and screened porch. The 1.5-acre property also features a renovated 650-square-foot cottage, a dock and 157 feet of beach. Taxes: $24,584. Denice Lara, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, 631-523-7870

On Multiple Listings

Number of houses: 108

Price range: $329,875-$4.65 million

Tax range: $1,130-$47,578