Island Park a 'hidden treasure' of beaches, energetic restaurant scene

THE SCOOP Boating and fishing have been the draw to Island Park, an island between Oceanside and Long Beach, since it began as a summer bungalow community in the 1920s. Calling it "a hidden treasure with a couple of beautiful beaches and an energetic restaurant scene," Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty, a resident since his parents moved there in 1959, notes that residents include families who have been there for generations and new families who are moving in.

The year-round community in southern Nassau County is divided into three jurisdictions, the Incorporated Village of Island Park and the hamlets of Barnum Island and Harbor Isle.

"It’s a small, close-knit waterfront, seaside community where everybody seems to know everybody," says Michael Scully, an agent with Century 21 Scully Realty in Island Park.

The main attractions are the village beaches, including Little Beach and Masone Beach, which offers swimming lessons, gazebo rentals, concerts on the beach and fireworks on Labor Day. "We also have Harbor Isle Beach Park for the children and a very popular Shell Creek Park in Barnum Isle for the baseball, basketball and tennis enthusiasts," Scully says.

The unofficial Main Street is Long Beach Road, with stores, restaurants and businesses, which merges with another main road, Austin Boulevard. Along the water from one end of the island to the other are restaurants and water activities like kayaking and paddleboarding.

Most of the original bungalows have been replaced with Capes, Mediterranean-style and modern homes, with some located on canals and channels. Home prices start at around $500,000, with houses closer to the water starting at $1 million, according to J. Brittany DeVarso, broker and owner of Mermaid Realty & Design in East Rockaway. "Most of the median-priced homes go quickly," DeVarso says. "This is a good area for people who really like Long Beach but can't afford to live there. Island Park is priced more reasonably."

Protecting the island from potential storm damage has been a priority for the village. McGinty says that a project is underway to add sand to prevent erosion and stabilize Little Beach and that last year, 25 by 200 feet of Masone Beach was reclaimed from erosion. The village is also in the initial construction phase of a drainage project to mitigate storm damage.

CONDOS AND COOPS There is one condo on the market, listed for $858,000.

SALE PRICES Between Oct. 31, 2020, and Nov. 30, 2021, there were 129 home sales with a median sale price of $599,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $180,000 and the high was $1.5 million. During that period a year earlier, there were 84 home sales with a median sale price of $507,000. The price range was $105,000 to $1.05 million.

OTHER STATS

Town Hempstead

Area 0.4 square miles

ZIP code 11558

Population 4,928

Median age 39.2

Median household income $91,841

Median home value $630,375*

Monthly LIRR ticket from Island Park $398

School districts, graduation rates Long Beach (97%), West Hempstead (89%)

Parks Masone Beach, Landgraf Park

Library Island Park Public Library

Hospitals South Nassau Communities Hospital Off-Campus Emergency Department, Mount Sinai South Nassau

Transit NICE Route 15

SOURCES: 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov *Based on 61 sales in the past six months, according to OneKey MLS

NOW ON THE MARKET

$1.15 million

This Harbor Isle Colonial built in 2006 on a 0.15-waterfront-acre is 2,355 square feet. It has an open floor plan with three bedrooms, 2½ baths and gourmet kitchen. The primary bedroom suite includes a skylight and hot tub. There's also a second-floor loft space, attic, private boat slip and boat lift. Taxes are $11,204. J. Brittany DeVarso, Mermaid Realty & Design, 516-303-0909.

$689,000

Built in 1994 in the Barnum Isle section on 0.14 acre, this custom home is 2,600 square feet with four bedrooms, two full and two half baths and an eat-in kitchen. It also has a den with two sets of doors to the patio and yard, and a roof deck off the living and dining rooms. Taxes are $12,297. Michael Scully, Century 21 Scully Realty, 516-889-7110.

$549,000

Built in 1929 as a bungalow and later converted to a raised ranch, this two-bedroom, 1½-bath home has a full attic and hardwood floors, upgraded electric and gas heating. It has a back deck and yard, with room for expansion up and/or out. The house is on a 30-by-100-foot lot, and is also being offered on a subdividable 60-by-100-foot lot for $699,000. Taxes are $7,379. Monica Coffey-Murray, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, 516-670-1700.

RECENTLY SOLD

$1.475 million

Address Seaview Ave.

Style Contemporary

Bedrooms 5

Bathrooms 4

Built 2021

Lot size 0.17 acre

Taxes $13,165

+/- list price +$76,000

Days on market 223

$670,000

Address Jefferson Ave

Style Split level

Bedrooms 3

Bathrooms 2

Built 1955

Lot size 0.12 acre

Taxes $9,535

+/- list price -$9,000

Days on market 115

$355,000

Address Redfield Rd.

Style Ranch

Bedrooms 2

Bathrooms 1

Built 1951

Lot size 0.17 acre

Taxes $11,301

+/- list price -$19,500

Days on market 128

ON ONEKEY MLS

Number of listings 27

Price range $199,000 to $1.225 million

Tax range $3,104 to $14,694