Long Beach Motor Inn owner asking $10 million

The long road leading to the final sale and transfer of the Long Beach Motor Inn on Austin Boulevard in Island Park, from the Long Beach Motor Inn LLC to Nassau County, is not over. County Supreme Court Condemnation Justice Thomas Adams signed an order on March 28, turning the title for the property over to the county on June 1, for a pending initial payment of $750,000, but the two sides still have to reach a final price.

The Island Park Civic Association, with the help of County Legislator Denise Ford has been working to have the county acquire the property since 2009. The county wants to turn the property into senior citizen housing. Of late it has been used as a welfare motel, housing criminals and homeless.

Rockville Centre attorney Robert Litt, who represents the owners, said they have rejected the $750,000 offer, and instead asked for $10 million, based on the “highest and best use” of the property, not the current use, which is allowed by law.

Both sides will obtain appraisals of the property, and try to reach an agreement to an actual sale price somewhere between the two numbers. If they fail to reach an agreement they will submit their respective amounts to the court and go to trial. In addition if the amount the owners are awarded is “substantially in excess” of the county’s appraised amount, they can also ask for legal fees to be covered. According to the American Bar Association “substantially in excess” could be less than 35 percent. Litt says in the end the bill for the property could be well into six figures, and the legal battle could go on for years.

However the ownership of the building transfers to the county upon payment of the initial $750,000, and work on the building, to clean it out post Hurricane Sandy, can begin right away.

Litt added that now both the former owners and the county are responsible for the property, so if there is damage, from a flood or fire for example, they would have to work out which party would pay for repairs.