For sale: one motel, slightly used

For only $3,999,999, you can own one of Island Park’s most infamous landmarks: the Long Beach Motor Inn.

In the last week of December, the motel was put up for sale, listed with Charles Rutenberg Realty Inc.

The motel, on Austin Boulevard in the northern section of Island Park, was built in 1962, and was purchased by the current owner about 20 years ago for roughly $3.8 million. It sits on a 40,000-square-foot lot and, according to listing documents, averaged $1.1 million in gross sales from 2001 to 2010.

“I have gotten some interest,” said Michael Camastro, the agent handling the sale. “Everyone has a different twist on things. Some want to consider putting a franchise in there. I had another gentleman who called me about putting an assisted-living facility in there.”

Almost anything but the current motel would be a welcome change for residents, who have long been trying to get it shut down. “We’re delighted that it’s up for sale,” said Susan Faza, president of the Island Park Civic Association. “We’re hoping that the new buyer will make it into something much more agreeable to the community.”

The civic association has been leading the charge to get the motel shut down, holding two different petition drives in front of the property. It claims that Nassau County houses homeless sex offenders and criminals at the motel — the same place it also houses homeless families.

Residents who attend civic association meetings often ask what is being done about the motel. It has been compared to the recently closed Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead and the Oceanside Motel, which closed in 2005. The Oceanside Motel was declared a public nuisance, condemned by the Town of Hempstead, torn down and turned into a parking lot.

But that is unlikely to happen to the Long Beach Motor Inn. “Those were different economic times,” said Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino. “Budgets are tight these days.”

Santino said that it is unlikely that the town would purchase the building in this case. “Given the budgetary constraints,” he said, it’s unlikely that the town would be able to spend $4 million on the property.

But, Santino added, that doesn’t mean that the town can’t offer its help. “Depending on who’s looking to buy it and what they’re planning to do with the property, we can certainly be very helpful when it comes to the zoning, when it comes to the permitting process and things of that nature,” he said. “So I’m sure that the town, in the areas where it has authority and responsibility, would be helpful to a new prospective owner who’d be looking to do something there that’s more in keeping with the desires and wishes of the community.”

Santino said that the town would do what it could to help whoever purchases the property to develop it, so long as it is something the community wants. “Without ruling anything out,” he said, “I’m sure we would welcome any and all suggestions and would work with whatever entity came forward looking to purchase the property to do something positive, and see if we can cut through the red tape and not put any unnecessary roadblocks in the way.”

The owner could not be reached for comment, and Camastro said he did not know why the owner was selling the property.

Faza said that the civic association would not necessarily like to see something other than a motel, but she added that the group hopes that a new or refurbished motel or hotel would attract a better clientele.

“We’d like to see either a Hampton Inn or a similar type of upscale-branded hotel,” Faza said. “We’re not asking for something that’s very expensive, but something that’s a little nicer than the average. Because there’s really nothing like that around.”