West Hempstead ripe for apartments; it's an 'unknown gem,' activist says

THE SCOOP West Hempstead, with a variety of mass transportation options and recreational opportunities, is something of an unknown gem, says 51-year resident Rosalie Norton, longtime president of the West Hempstead Community Support Association, a nonprofit that aims to revitalize the community. “For the value that you get for the price of the home, there is a lot to offer within the community,” Norton says. “Many who move in are very surprised when they realize.”  

That includes Echo Park Swimming Complex, which has outdoor and year-round indoor pools and a fitness center; Hall's  Pond Park, with a playground and duck pond; Hempstead Lake State Park, with athletic courts and trails; and the New York Equestrian Center, an indoor equine facility. As for transportation, Norton says, there are three Long Island Rail Road train station stops within the hamlet (West Hempstead, Hempstead Gardens and Lakeview) and multiple bus lines.

That makes West Hempstead “very ripe for development as far as market-rate apartments because we don’t have enough,” Norton says. 

The West 130 apartment building, offering 150 units from one to three bedrooms, opened in 2012 at the site of the former Courtesy Hotel. “It got rid of community blight and brought in a dynamic population of renters who patronize our local businesses and become part of the community,” says Town of Hempstead council member Ed Ambrosino.

Near the West 130 complex, Norton says, are two large parcels that have drawn the interest of developers seeking potential housing and rental units near mass transportation.

“We are a small community, and we need just a few more residents looking for opportunities to dine or shop retail,” Norton says. “It will add to the viability of our existing businesses and also attract new ones to our community.”

The neighborhood includes various sections and housing styles, says Sharona Beck, of Sharona Beck Realty, who has lived in the community 32 years. That, she says, includes Colonials in the Cathedral Gardens section along the Garden City and Hempstead lines; expanded ranches in the Dogwood section; Capes in the Presidential area; and a section of Tudor Colonial stucco houses built in the late 1920s. Prices, she adds, range from smaller homes in excellent condition in the mid-$400,000s to large homes in diamond condition that command more than $1 million. Beck represented eight 3,500-square-foot newly constructed homes on a cul-de-sac off Hempstead Avenue called Paramount Court, some of which are still available.

Nikki Stamatas Thaw, of Nikki Stamatas Realty, who lived in West Hempstead for 43 years, says the area has “different pockets of beautiful homes, from affordable to more upscale properties, and a nice, diverse economic base.”

The hamlet, she adds, is centrally located with convenient access to the parkways and Long Island Expressway. In addition to the train stations on the West Hempstead line, nearby are the Mineola and Hempstead lines. “So, if there is a problem on one, you can easily go to the other two,” Stamatus Thaw says.

Streetscaping projects in recent years, Norton says, have added new benches, planters, signage and decorative street poles to the community.

CONDOS AND TOWN HOUSES

There are no condos or co-ops on the market.   

SALES PRICES

Between Jan. 1, 2018 and Jan. 1, 2019, there were 210 home sales with a median sale price of $495,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price for that period was $125,000 and the high was $1.85 million. During that time period a year earlier, there were 183 home sales with a median sale price of $430,000. The price range was $130,000 to $1.1 million.

SCHOOLS

Most students attend West Hempstead High School.  

OTHER STATS

Town: Hempstead

Area: 2.7 square miles

ZIP code: 11552  

Population: 18,862

Median age: 39.9

Median household income: $107,986

Median home value: $525,000*

LIRR to NYC:  from West Hempstead, 49 to 55 minutes at peak

Monthly ticket: $261

School district: West Hempstead

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

RECENTLY SOLD

$415,000

Harrison Street

Style: Cape

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3

Built: 1957

Lot size: 40 by 100 feet

Taxes: $11,953

Reduced: $14,000

Days on the market: 108

$573,000

Myrna Drive

Style: Split ranch

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 half

Built: 1955

Lot size: 60 by 108

Taxes: $13,635

Reduced: $26,000

Days on the market: 109

$720,000

Lawrence Road

Style: Colonial

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2

Built: 1952

Lot size: 53 by 100

Taxes: $11,757

Reduced: $79,000

Days on the market: 217

NOW ON THE MARKET

$440,000

This four-bedroom, three-bathroom Cape has a living room and an eat-in kitchen with a breakfast bar and sliding glass doors. The 60-by-100-foot property, with a rear patio, also has a partially finished basement with a bathroom.  Taxes: $12,422. John Prato, Century 21 Kin Realty, 516-383-2751 

$579,000

This Tudor, with three bedrooms and one full  bathroom and a half-bath, has a living room with a fireplace, a formal dining room, an eat-in kitchen and a sunroom. The 55-by-100-foot property includes a partially finished basement and a detached two-car garage. Taxes: $12,027. Nikki Stamatas Thaw, Nikki Stamatas Realty, 516-659-5559

$799,000

This six-bedroom, four-bathroom Colonial has a living and dining room with oak floors and a fireplace, a granite kitchen and two master bedrooms. The house, on a 68-by-158-foot property, also has a full, finished basement and attached one-car garage. Taxes: $14,629. Peter Murdakhayev, Winzone Realty, 917-405-0568

On Multiple Listings

Number of houses: 49

Price range: $365,000 to  $1.999 million

Tax range: $8,131 to  $26,300