Laid-back Center Moriches offers quiet life, open spaces

Houses off Red Bridge Road in Center Moriches Credit: Morgan Campbell

By Ann Donahue-Smuklerann.smukler@newsday.comJanuary 21, 2021

THE SCOOP

Looking out on Moriches Bay is an old-fashioned South Shore community that evokes the past. "When I speak with people ...[from out of town] who see Center Moriches, they say it feels like they’re going back 60 years in time," says Steve Monzeglio of BrookHampton Realty.

Houses on Senix Creek in Center Moriches Credit: Morgan Campbell

With its low traffic and slower pace, the area has become desirable, he says.

Contributing to that appeal may be the more than 300 acres of open space purchased by the Town of Brookhaven in the Moriches Bay area, says Brookhaven Town Councilman Daniel J. Panico, a Center Moriches resident. "We’ve preserved so much open space that you’re not going to see any more widespread commercial sprawl," he says.

Businesses in Center Moriches Credit: Morgan Campbell

"There’s a nice mix of old and new homes with the pricier ones either bayfront or creekfront," Monzeglio says. Run by the Town of Brookhaven, Webby's Beach on Moriches Bay has a new look with picnic areas and a playground. "It’s become a very popular part of Center Moriches," Monzeglio says. "When you go down there any summer night, people are using the facility. It’s become a real asset to the community."

Houses on Lake Avenue in Center Moriches Credit: Morgan Campbell/Morgan Campbell

The area was once home to many large waterfront hotels, Panico says. "Center Moriches was the Gold Coast of Brookhaven. It was a hustling, bustling community 100 years ago," he says. "A lot of the hotels on the shoreline were destroyed either by fire or the 1938 hurricane."

New to the retail business scene in Center Moriches are Moriches Field Brewing Co. and Lucharitos, a Mexican indoor/outdoor eatery.

CONDOS AND CO-OPS

There are no condos or co-ops on the market.

SALE PRICES

Between Nov. 30, 2019, and Dec. 1, 2020, there were 117 home sales with a median sale price of $425,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $199,000 and the high was $1,040,000. During that period a year earlier there were 116 home sales with a median sale price of $399,495. The price range was $130,000 to $1,650,000.

OTHER STATS

Town Brookhaven

Area 5 square miles

ZIP code 11934

Population 7,584

Median age 42.1

Median household income $106,892

Median home value $471,514*

Monthly LIRR ticket from Mastic-Shirley $461

School district Center Moriches

Parks Neville Park, Terrell River County Park, Flight 800 Memorial Park

Library Center Moriches Free Public Library

Nearest hospitals Peconic Bay Medical Center, Riverhead, and Long Island Community Hospital, East Patchogue

Transit Suffolk County Transit bus route 66

SOURCES: 2018 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; OneKey MLS; LIRR, moovitapp.com

*Based on 69 sales in the past six months, according to OneKey MLS

NOW ON THE MARKET

$4,295,000

Sitting on more than three acres of bayfront property, this eight-bedroom, 4½-bathroom three-level Victorian home offers 9,000 square feet of European-inspired luxury living, including seven fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, a 40-foot in-ground pool and 383 feet of bulkheading. Taxes are $36,525. Robert Canberg, Catherine Canberg, Compass Greater NY, 212-913-9058.

$749,000

Situated on a 0.5-acre deep water creekfront lot, this three-bedroom, 1½-bathroom Colonial was built in 1950 and has wood floors, a floor-to-ceiling stone gas fireplace, and a front porch and rear deck with Trex decking. Updates include a new heating system, a hot-water heater and a rebuilt chimney. Taxes are $10,234. Lisa Stevens, BrookHampton Realty, 631-878-0500.

$399,999

Built in 1972, this four-bedroom, two-bathroom Colonial home, which has an accepted offer, was renovated in 2005, with wood floors throughout and a wood-burning stove. The house has an eat-in kitchen, second-floor central air conditioning, and a two-car attached garage adjacent to a large paver patio in the backyard. Taxes are $7,861. Elaine McGlynn, Signature Homes of New York, 631-909-7200.

RECENTLY SOLD

$580,000

Address Lake Avenue

Style Expanded Cape

Bedrooms 4

Bathrooms 2½

Built 1950

Lot size 0.85 acre

Taxes $9,838

+/- list price +$1,000

Days on market 96

$555,000