Lindenhurst school board to vote on sale of school property to Engel Burman Group
The Edward W. Bower Elementary School on Montauk Highway was closed in June 2011. Credit: Steve Pfost
The Lindenhurst board of education tomorrow night will vote on whether to sell a shuttered elementary school to a developer seeking to build senior condominiums.
Last month, the board voted to sell Edward W. Bower Elementary School but then failed to get a majority vote for any of three potential developers looking to buy the property. Now the board is zeroing in on one of those developers, Engel Burman Group of Garden City, which seeks to buy the land for $8.25 million and build 150 senior condominiums.
Bower was closed in 2011 due to the building's age and declining enrollment. Since then it has been partially rented out to various groups, but the property costs the district more than $100,000 a year to maintain. Officials have said that needed repairs and upgrades to the building would run close to $1 million.
Engel Burman has proposed buying the nearly 5-acre property on Montauk Highway and building residential units restricted to those age 55 and older. The proposal had been voted down 2-7, while an offer from Simply Self Storage, of Orlando, Florida, for $5 million lost 4-5. A third offer from Mill Creek Residential of Dallas for 150 multifamily rental units for $6 million received no yes votes.
Board president Donna Hochman said the four board members who voted for the self-storage offer were concerned about the two years it took after the school board vote for construction to begin on Engel Burman's redevelopment of a former school in Seaford. In a concession the company has decreased its time estimate by six months, Hochman said. As a result, she said, it appears as if the offer will get a majority vote now."We'd like to put forth what the board feels at this point is the developer most favorable to the community and that would be Engel Burman," Hochman said.
The project would need several variances from the village, she said, including parking and zoning.
"Hopefully they can get through the village without any issues," she said.
If backed by the school board, the sale would need to be approved by the public in a referendum before it is made final.
The board vote will be Wednesday at 8 p.m. at West Gates Avenue Elementary School.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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