Brentwood 'poised to really come back,' says Town of Islip supervisor
The Long Island Timberline Futbol Club soccer match between the U12 soccer team and the Smithtown Thunder soccer team at Brentwood's Roberto Clemente Park. Credit: Heather Walsh
THE SCOOP
From a real estate perspective, state Assemb. Phil Ramos says that Brentwood “has a lot of potential because it is on the cusp of some major development in the downtown.”
Ramos says a visioning study was conducted to beautify the area along Suffolk Avenue and Brentwood Road and direct economic development around food and the arts.
“Using those two things as a magnet to bring people to our downtown, we expect will produce some economic development that would be to the benefit of all homeowners in our town,” says Ramos, who adds that mixed-use housing also would be vital.
Pointing out that the area’s diversity is an intrinsic asset, Ramos says the downtown could feature an “International Row” offering foods and arts from a host of countries. “If we are able to attract people from other communities to come here and spend money and enjoy our downtown, then it is really lifting our community to another level,” Ramos says. “We are on the verge of developing that.”
In recent years, Brentwood has been the site of gang violence and soil contamination in Roberto Clemente Park and some nearby homes.
Recent initiatives in the hamlet have aimed to reduce gang violence and impede recruitment, according to recent news stories. “We secured an unprecedented amount of funding as it responds to the recent gang violence and it’s had its results,” Ramos says.
This Brentwood Cape, for $289,000, includes four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Credit: Power Team Realty Corp
The state has granted $18 million to build a community center in Brentwood, providing youth services that include year-round recreational activities and educational opportunities, Ramos says. Additional funding, he adds, has been used for after-school programs to occupy children, and to bring in the organization STRONG Youth, an anti-gang advocacy group specializing in gang prevention and intervention. Other measures include the installation of surveillance cameras and new lighting in local parks, according to recent news stories.
The cleanup is done at Roberto Clemente Park, where contaminated debris had been illegally dumped, says Town of Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter. After six years of closure, the park’s Olympic-size swimming pool was renovated and, in August 2018, reopened. The park will soon add spray and skateboard parks, Carpenter says.
Carpenter says all town approvals are in place for the proposed Heartland Town Square, which Newsday reported will include 9,000 residential units, 3.4 million square feet of office space and 1 million square feet of retail space on the 452-acre site that was part of the Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center. The developer, seeking a sewer connection between the project and county, filed a lawsuit Feb. 6 after a public works committee voted down the motion in September to discharge the agreement to the full legislature
Brentwood offers a mix of housing styles, with the most common being Colonials, ranches and high ranches, says Jose Martinez, broker-owner of Power Team Realty Corp. Most houses, he adds, are typically priced between $325,000 and $450,000, while some remodeled or newly constructed homes command around $500,000. “The area was hit really hard with so many foreclosures, but the community is coming back now,” Martinez says. “The market is up. Properties are selling. There are a lot of renovated homes. We had all these houses that were eye sores and now they are beautiful.”
This Brentwood Cape, for $304,990, includes three bedrooms and one bathroom. Credit: Hamilton Homes
The Brentwood train station was recently renovated with new bathrooms, new flooring and other amenities. About a mile away, the Modern Times Schoolhouse, an octagonal structure built in 1857, is set to undergo a restoration. The Brentwood Historical Society is awaiting final permits.
The hamlet is home to the Brentwood Country Club, an 18-hole golf course that Carpenter says just received a new irrigation system. Recent road projects in the area include the repaving of Washington Avenue between Suffolk Avenue and the Long Island Expressway South Service Road, a main artery in Brentwood that Carpenter describes as “the gateway to the hamlet.”
“There are a lot of real positive things happening,” Carpenter says. “For those who have a little bit of vision and can see down the road, the community is poised to really come back.”
CONDOS AND TOWNHOUSES
There are no condos or co-ops on the market.
SALES PRICES
Between March 1, 2018, and March 20, 2019, there were 383 home sales with a median sale price of $355,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price for that period was $129,000 and the high was $479,000. During that time period a year earlier, there were 406 home sales with a median sale price of $295,000. The price range was $70,000 to $450,000.
This Brentwood Colonial, for $409,000, includes four bedrooms and 2-1/2 bathrooms. Credit: Realty Connect USA
OTHER STATS
Town: Islip
Area: 10.1 square miles
ZIP code: 11717
Population: 60,664
Median age: 32.0
Median household income: $74,127
Median home value: $340,000*
LIRR to NYC: 58 to 77 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $391
School district: Brentwood
SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;
*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI
RECENTLY SOLD
$264,000
Floyd Street
Style: Exp. Ranch
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 1
Built: 1958
Lot size: 75x100
Taxes: $5,926
Reduced: $999
Days on the market: 92
$325,000
Perry Street
Style: Cape
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 1
Built: 1959
Lot size: 0.19 acres
Taxes: $7,249
Increased: $20,500
Days on the market: 102
$420,000
American Boulevard
Style: Exp. ranch
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 2
Built: 1953
Lot size: 86x131
Taxes: $5,805
Reduced: $19,999
Days on the market: 116
NOW ON THE MARKET
$289,000
This Cape, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, includes a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and a full basement. The .25-acre property also features a detached two-car garage. Taxes: $6,595. Fanny Diaz, Power Team Realty Corp, 631-231-8000
$304,990
This Cape, with three bedrooms and one bathroom, has a living room, an eat-in kitchen and two main-level bedrooms. The house, with updated windows and new storm doors, sits on a 75-by-150-property. Taxes: $6,396. Dorothy Hamilton, Hamilton Homes, 631-435-0870
$409,000
This Colonial, with four bedrooms and 21/2 bathrooms, features a living room, a family room and a master bedroom with a full bath. The 125-by-125-foot property also has a basement, an attached two-car garage and an in-ground pool. Taxes: $8,307. Juan Valdiviezo, Realty Connect USA, 631-745-9601
On Multiple Listings
Number of houses: 108
Price range: $120,000-$599,000
Tax range: $4,129-$18,606
