By Andrew Coen
The 10.8-acre county surplus property is being advertised to interested developers through a request for proposal process, which officials hope will lead to bids that will generate local and county revenue and also be beneficial to the community. The property, just off Bay Boulevard next to Jamaica Bay, is currently zoned for industrial use, and could accommodate a building as large as approximately 180,000 square feet, according to CB Richard Ellis Inc., the Woodbury company that is distributing the RFPs.
Sheldon Cohen, director of real estate planning and development for County Executive Tom Suozzi, said the county is in the process of soliciting RFPs, seeking detailed plans from developers about how they would utilize the property. The county will then review the applicants' financial offers and planned uses for the property before deciding who will acquire the land. "We'd like to assess the best use of this property," said Cohen.
"It's sitting there wasting away for years, so it's about time we make some use of it," said Jesse Mistero, Inwood Republican leader. "I'm glad [the county] is putting [the property] back on the tax rolls."
Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside), whose Seventh District covers Inwood, said he hopes the sale of the property will add much-needed tax revenue to Lawrence Public Schools, which are operating on austerity for a third straight year as a result of failed budgets. "It's good news for District 15," said Toback. "All taxing jurisdictions could use extra revenue."
"Anytime we can get properties back on the tax rolls, it's a plus," said Lawrence school board President Frank Parise.
County officials said that an internal appraisal has been conducted of the property, but they are not releasing its appraised value, because they hope to get the best offer possible. Toback is not part of the committee that will decide what is the best use for the property, but he said he plans to be involved in as much of the process as possible, since it is located in his legislative district. "A lot of scrutiny goes into these decisions," said Toback. "Hopefully the community will be getting a use for that property that will be beneficial for everyone."
County officials said that 95 percent of the money from the sale of the property would be earmarked for repairing run-down county buildings as part of Suozzi's plan to consolidate various governmental services. The remaining 5 percent of funds from the sale would be used for preserving open space in the county, officials said.
Suozzi, who is up for re-election in November, has worked on various government consolidation agreements, including the sale of 160 Old Country Road - which once housed the county's offices of Human Rights and Consumer Affairs - to a Mineola developer for $2 million, as well as the sale of 9.2 acres of vacant county-owned land in East Massapequa to the Town of Oyster Bay, to be used for ball fields, which county officials say will save the county more than $130,000.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
