Centre Island offers a 'beautiful, peaceful retreat' and Billy Joel as a neighbor

THE SCOOP Centre Island, a secluded peninsula known for being the home of Billy Joel and other prominent people, is ideal for “those who want a beautiful, peaceful retreat,” says Lorna Mann of The Kelly-Mann Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

“It’s very lush, quiet and serene, and yet it is very, very accessible to the city,” she says, adding that with a minimum of three-acre zoning in most of Centre Island, the area features some grand houses.    

The village also offers exclusivity because “there is only one way in and one way out,” says Margaret Trautmann of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.  With its sprawling properties and waterfront homes, “if people are looking for complete privacy, they don’t have to know their neighbors if they don’t want to," she says.

The village is one of the smallest in Nassau County, with just over 200 homes, many of which line Cold Spring Harbor, Oyster Bay Harbor and the Long Island Sound.  The area features mainly Colonials, Trautmann says, some with lot sizes as large as 18 acres.  A section of cottages built on smaller properties at the center of the peninsula, she adds, was built in the early 1900s for the staffs of residents.

“Because of those small cottages,” Trautmann says, “prices in Centre Island can range from $600,000 to a $16 million house.”

The village, home to Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, has one access point just past Centre Island Beach Village Park at the merging of Bayville Avenue and Centre Island Road.  West Shore Road, one of two routes leading to Bayville and Centre Island, underwent the third and final phase of a project that repaired the roadway, enhanced utilities and added landscaping after its closure following superstorm Sandy.

CONDOS AND CO-OPS
There are no condos or co-ops within the village.   
SALES PRICES
Between June 1, 2017, and June 4, 2018, there were seven home sales with a median sale price of $1.1 million according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price for that period was $625,000 and the high was $3.9 million. During that  period a year earlier, there were seven home sales with a median sale price of $1.75 million. The price range was $865,000 to $6.28 million.

OTHER STATS

Town: Oyster Bay
Area: 1.1 square miles
ZIP code: 11771
Population: 410
Median age: 51.7
Median household income: $137,188
Median home value: $1.275 million*
LIRR to NYC: From Oyster Bay, 76 to 83 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $297
School district: Oyster Bay-East Norwich

SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;
*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI
RECENTLY SOLD

$625,000

CENTRE ISLAND ROAD

Style: Ranch

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2

Built: 1955

Lot size: 0.35 acres

Taxes: $12,910

Reduced: $114,000

Days on the market: 270

$1.85 million

CENTRE ISLAND ROAD

Style: Colonial

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 4 full, 1 half

Built: 1922

Lot size: 2.9 acres

Taxes: $44,039

Reduced: $500,000

Days on the market: 295

$3.9 million

CENTRE ISLAND ROAD

Style: Colonial

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 4 full, 1 half

Built: 1934

Lot size: 3.3 acres

Taxes: $57,556

Reduced: $95,000

Days on the market: 99

NOW ON THE MARKET
$899,999

This expanded Cape, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, features a living room with a fireplace, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen with a pantry and main-level master suite with a walk-in closet and bathroom. The 89-by-117-foot property also includes a walk-out basement and attached one-car garage. Taxes: $16,392.  Mary Macaluso, Realty Connect USA, 516-410-6193 

$2.89 million

This five-bedroom, 4 1/2-bathroom home features a foyer with a bridal staircase, a great room, a master suite with a private balcony with water views. The three-acre property also includes a three-car garage and artist’s loft.  Taxes: $51,306.  Maria Lanzisero, Signature Premier Properties, 631-327-2912

$3.495 million

This five-bedroom, six-bathroom Contemporary features a living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen and den, all with fireplaces.  The 6.5-acre waterfront property, with 270 feet of shoreline, features an in-ground heated pool and helipad.  Taxes: $53,746.  Margaret Trautmann, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, 516-361-4646
 

On Multiple Listings
Number of houses 14
Price range $899,999-$11.2 million
Tax range $15,365-$118,820