If you're thinking of buying in Brightwaters
One of the many bridges near Lakeview Ave East that crosses over Cascade Lakes in Brightwaters. Credit: Newsday/Audrey C. Tiernan
THE SCOOP: When Thomas Benton Ackerson developed Brightwaters as a planned community in the early 1800s, he and his three brothers filled swamps and dug a 4,000-foot-long boat canal.
"The plan was very well done to create what's here today," says Bart Ackerson, a resident and owner-broker of Bartlett L. Ackerson Real Estate, and a relative of "TB" Ackerson. He refers to the village's ambience - a landscape characterized by canals, lakes, bridges and parks as well as traditional-style homes on comfortable-size lots.
"People come to the village of Brightwaters because it's pretty," says Rick Ramsay, a former resident and owner-broker of Eric G. Ramsay Jr. Associates in Bay Shore.
It's fiscally fit, too. "Our little village is doing well," says Mayor Joseph McNulty. "We are still debt-free." McNulty said the village has been living within its budget and hasn't raised taxes in a decade. Projects have included road paving, an ongoing tree-planting program and the installation of 125 feet of bulkhead at Gilbert Park.
There are about 1,200 homes in the village, which is informally divided into three sections. Ackerson said properties in the bay section average 100-by-140 feet; those in the lake section are multiacre, while lots in the northern section average 75-by-140 feet.
"The mayor calls Brightwaters the 'crown jewel of the South Shore,' " says Ackerson, noting that the cliche has caught on.
MONTHLY RENTALS: $800 to $1,500 for an apartment; one four-bedroom high-ranch is listed for $2,300.
SALES PRICE: Since September 2009, there have been 34 sales with a median price of $432,500, according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price was $240,000, and the high was $975,000. From August 2008 to August 2009, there were 30 sales. The median price was $442,500, with a low of $180,000 and a high of $1,250,000.
ATTRACTIONS: Gilbert and Walker parks on the bay and Wohseepee Park, with an ongoing roster of events. Tomorrow is the Pumpkin 5k run and Sunday is the Ragamuffin Parade.
OTHER STATS
Town: Islip
Area: 1 square mile
ZIP code: 11718
Population: 3,193
Median age: 39.8
Median household income: $110,000
Median home value: $412,750*
Median age of homes: 58
Percent owning home: 89.4
Percent renting home: 9.1
Percent homes vacant: 1.5
LIRR time to NYC: 59 minutes to 81 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $306
School district: Bay Shore
SOURCES: Claritas 2009; mlsli.com; LIRR; *Based on sales in the past six months, according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island
