'Change comes slow' in Elwood, agent says

THE SCOOP "The beauty of Elwood is it doesn’t really change,” says Maria Rielly, an agent with Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty of Huntington who has lived 52 years in the hamlet. “Though there used to be more farms, change comes slow. Even with the changes, it still has a hometown feel."

Elwood earned the title “The heart of Huntington” because “it’s more or less in the middle of town,” says Robert Hughes, Huntington town historian.

“What’s nice about it is that although there are big supermarkets and a Starbucks, there are still some family-owned businesses that have been around since I’ve been here,” Rielly says, citing Makinajian Poultry Farm, the Elwood Quad and Hummel-Hummel Bakery. “You’ll also find in the area a lot of people who were born and raised here stay or come back and raise their own families.”

Aside from its schools and its location near three train stations (Northport, Greenlawn and Huntington), Elwood attracts people for its diverse housing stock, notes Rielly. There are Capes on small parcels for first-time buyers, Colonials and high-ranches on half- to full-acre lots for those looking to trade up and, on the high end, one- to two-acre properties in Old Chester Hills, a section of the community with some luxury homes.

The Engel Burman Group, a Jericho-based developer, has built the 256-unit high-end adult community known as The Seasons at Elwood on the site of the former Oak Tree Farm Dairy. The residential complex is expected to be completed by the end of this year, says Jan Burman, president. “We knew there was a need for a luxury 55-and-better community in Huntington, and Elwood’s a very nice area. It was a very long process. It took us seven years, but we did finally get it approved. And the proof is in the pudding. We sold it out very quickly." Prices ranged from $625,000 to $880,000 per unit, he says.

The Elwood Union Free School District is what unifies people in the five-square-mile community, says James Tomeo, vice president of the Elwood Civic Association, an organization that was started in 1945 and had opposed The Seasons development.

"We are comprised of three ZIP codes, two fire districts, two legislative districts," says Tomeo. "Since we have that nonuniform composition, the school district becomes the nucleus, because that is the common thread among everyone in the community." 

A spray park in Elwood Park opened in summer of 2018, says Huntington Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci. At 17.5 acres, the park also offers a soccer field, playground, boccie courts, horseshoe pits and pavilion for picnics.

“Elwood is definitely home to many beautiful parks," adds Lupinacci, ticking off William J. Byrne  Park, Manor Plains Nature Park and Verleye Road Park.

“It was originally a farming community, so you still have some of the rural appeal with farms surrounding Elwood,” says Lupinacci, noting that one of the many historic landmarks is The Little Red Schoolhouse, the first school in the district. It is now owned by Suffolk County and is currently vacant, and it is not actually red anymore, he says.

Developers of Villadom, a proposed multiuse office, retail, fitness center and library project on close to 50 undeveloped acres on Jericho Turnpike, withdrew their application in May 2018 due to residential opposition to the project, says Lupinacci, noting that the town has not received revised plans.

Though the origin of Elwood’s name remains a mystery, the Beaconsfield subdivision, which was built in the 1950s and is northeast of the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Elwood Road, contains street names beginning with “El,” such as Elgin, Elgar and Elberta, says Lupinacci. “The developer thought that it would be cute to have the street names match up with the community’s name," he says.

Matinecock Court, a proposed affordable housing development near Pulaski and Elwood roads met for decades with local opposition and multiple court rulings, is still in limbo and awaiting an infusion of funding, says Lupinacci.

“There are no active applications with the town right now,” he says. 

COOPS AND CONDOS There is one condo on the market for $799,000.

SALES PRICES

Between Oct. 1, 2018, and Oct. 31, 2019, there were 173 home sales with a median sales price of $515,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The lower price for that period was $240,000 and the high was $1,250,000. During that period a year earlier, there were 146 home sales with a median sales price of $516,250. The low price was $250,000 and the high was $1,230,000.

OTHER STATS

Town: Huntington

Area:  4.8 square miles

ZIP code: 11731

Population: 11,952

Median age: 42.1

Median household income: $111,675

Median home value: $494,100

LIRR to NYC: 69 mins peak

Monthly ticket: $363

School district: Elwood UFSD

SOURCES: US Census, 2017 American Community Survey, LIRR

RECENTLY SOLD

$1,250,000

N Chester Ct.

Style: Colonial

Bedrooms: 6

Bathrooms: 5 full, 3 half

Built: 1932

Lot size: 2 acres

Taxes: $36,398

Reduced: $49,999

Days on market: 244 days

$824,500

Danville Dr.

Style: Colonial

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2 ½

Built: 1966

Lot size: 1 acre

Taxes: $17,620

Reduced: $15,400

Days on market: 106 days

$725,000

Penelope Ln.

Style: Colonial

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2 full, 2 half

Built: 1968

Lot size: 1 acre

Taxes: $17,400

Reduced: $24,000

Days on market: 131 days

$360,000

Address Montana Street

Style Ranch

Bedrooms 3

Bathrooms 1.5

Built 1930

Lot size .25 acres

Taxes $7,839

Decreased $19,000

Days on the market 145

$490,000

Address Tinton Place

Style Hi Ranch

Bedrooms 3

Bathrooms 2

Built 1961

Lot Size .52 acres

Taxes $10,989

Decreased $7500

Days on the market 125

$725,000

Address Tideway Lane

Style Colonial

Bedrooms 4

Bathrooms 3

Built 1964

Lot size .55 acres

Taxes $14,283

Decreased $24,000
Days on the market 63

NOW ON THE MARKET

$415,000

Built in 1952, this ranch contains three bedrooms and one bathroom. It is on a .18-acre lot. There is central air conditioning. Annual property taxes are $10,931. Listing agent: Kathryn Shreck, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 631-261-6800

$549,000

This 1963 splanch has four bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms. The .46-acre property has a heated saltwater pool and inground sprinklers. The home comes with solar panels and a whole-house generator. Annual property taxes are $13,152. Listing agent: Marie-Denise Kratsios, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, 631-427-6600

$999,000

There are four bedrooms and four bathrooms in this 2002 Postmodern home. There is radiant heat in the master bathroom, central air conditioning, a heated pool with a waterfall and a cabana. The house is on a .98-acre lot. Annual property taxes are $24,663. Listing agents: James McKenna, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 631-754-4800

ON MULTIPLE LISTINGS

Number of houses for sale: 48

Price range: $399,900 to $1,299,888

Tax range: $7,233 to $34,478