Buying in Wheatley Heights
A small park located on Main Avenue. Credit: Kathy Kmonicek/Kathy Kmonicek
THE SCOOP: Beautification has been something of a theme in the quiet community of Wheatley Heights. The area known as the Main Avenue Beautification Site was transformed into a community plaza with Colonial lighting, benches, decorative fencing, landscaping and pathways.
Just last summer, renovations of the community's two parks - Hermann Griem and Kevin Ver Pault Memorial - were commemorated with ribbon cutting ceremonies.
"We are very pleased with our community," says longtime resident Sandy Thomas, also president of the Concerned Taxpayers of Wheatley Heights/Dix Hills Inc.
For those unfamiliar with the hamlet, it is surrounded by Half Hollow Hills, Wyandanch, Melville and Dix Hills. It has one gas station and a strip shopping center, which is where the post office is. It's also home to the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds and the Usdan Center for the Creative and Preforming Arts on Colonial Springs Road.
"The community is so small," says 20-year resident Karlene Tyson of Tysons Real Estate Co., in Wheatley Heights. While size is part of the appeal, so is the Half Hollow Hills school district, and the community's easy access to the Long Island Expressway, says Dennis Drumm of Dennis M. Drumm Realty in West Babylon.
Buyers can find Colonials and various ranch styles on lots that typically range from a quarter-acre to three-quarters of an acre. Because so many young families are moving into the area, the civic group has formed a welcoming committee, Thomas says.
CO-OPS: Wheatley Gardens on Main Avenue: Four units (one and two bedrooms) are listed between $139,000 and $169,900.
SALES PRICE: In 2009, there were 22 sales - six more than the previous year, according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island data. The median price was $334,995, with a low of $165,000 and a high of $545,000. In 2008, there were 16 sales with a median price of $389,500. The low was $205,000, and the high was $590,000.
ATTRACTIONS: Events include the Family Day Barbecue, which attracted about 300 families in August. Plus, a jazz concert as part of the town's summer concert series.
OTHER STATS
Town: Babylon
Area: 1.4 square miles
ZIP code: 11798*
Population: 4,924
Median age: 36.3
Median household income: $94,263
Median home value: $331,865**
Median age of homes: 38*
Percent owning home: 62.2 percent*
Percent renting home: 30.7 percent*
LIRR time to NYC: From Wyandanch, 49 to 65 minutes at peak; monthly ticket: $274
School districts: Most students attend Half Hollow Hills; some go to Wyndanch
SOURCES: Claritas 2009; www.mlsli.com; LIRR; *Includes Wyndanch; **Based on sales in the past six months per MLSLI
