Interest Remains for Vacant Lot in West End

Interest remains high for a vacant lot at Nebraska and West Beech streets in Long Beach, a parcel that has been empty for the last several years, according to the broker.

“Definitely, there’s been a lot of interest,” said Nevin Diamond, a broker for Century 21. “A lot of it is for commercial use. A couple of gyms have reached out to me and a couple of retail shops are looking to get in there.”

Diamond said the northwest corner site at 835 West Beech St. would be perfect for the construction of a two-story building, with multi-use retail on the ground floor and offices on the second floor.

“It will give any business amazing exposure over there in the West End,” said Diamond, who has been listing the parcel for about a year.

The property is located in a business district and zoned for commercial use, so a variance would only be required for possibly off-street parking, said Buildings Commissioner Scott Kemins.

“You can have any type of business go in there, a gym or a bank,” Kemins said.

“I always like to see commercial because any commercial property helps residents’ tax base,” he added.

In addition, Diamond said two “beautiful homes,” around 2,200 square feet apiece, could be constructed on the site.

Another possibility would be to convert the parcel into a parking lot for the patrons of restaurants or bars.

“There’s interest in a lot of different uses,” he said. “Some off-street parking over there would be nice.”

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About three years ago, the city was attempting to take the lot by eminent domain with plans of turning it into a residential parking lot for 10 cars. The city even asked an appraiser to review the site to determine how much the lot is worth.

“A parking lot is something the city contemplated doing, but never pursued it,” Long Beach Corporation Counsel Corey Klein said last Thursday. “The city never proceeded with it.”

At the time, the mortgage holders of the property said they were vehemently opposed to the city acquiring the land through eminent domain, especially if it was to be converted into a parking lot.

City officials had planned to use a $250,000 grant from Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) to purchase and pave another parcel, at 1055 West Beech St., to be used for parking, but that fell through. As a result, they wanted to dedicate those funds to the 835 West Beech St. property, but when the Republicans lost their majority in the Senate, Democrats reapportioned the funds.

Councilman Len Torres said he would like city officials to revisit the idea of using it as a parking lot and possibly renting it for between $12,000 and $15,000 a year.

“Parking is still a major problem in the West End,” he said. “One problem is that anything we do would involve money and that’s the last thing we have.”

Diamond said a purchaser could buy the entire 60-by-60-square-foot lot for $475,000 or purchase 30-by-60 square feet for $275,000. The owner of the lot is also a builder, he noted, so he could construct a structure to suit the buyer’s needs.

Diamond said he was a little surprised that the lot has yet to be sold because it’s in a prime location. But he agreed that the weak economy might have something to do with it.

“You would need cash to buy and cash to build,” he said. “That’s a lot of cash.”

Even though he has received many inquiries about 835 West Beech St., there’s been nothing concrete.

In 2004, M&T Land Inc. bought the property and was granted a variance to build two, one-family homes, but that never materialized. The variances have expired and the land sits unused since then.

City records indicate that Erwin Pitnick, one of the multiple mortgage holders, owns the property, but a spokeswoman said he no longer owns it.

Anyone interested in the parcel can contact Diamond at (516) 860-4007.