Historic Yaphank draws homebuyers, awaits mixed-use complex
Kayaking on Upper Yaphank Lake Credit: Randee Daddona
THE SCOOP
Yaphank gets its name from the Indian word Yamphanke, meaning riverbank, and was a hub of commerce in the late 1800s, with multiple grist mills, lumber mills, blacksmith shops, a stagecoach line and several retail outlets.
The community lapsed into relative quietude for decades. Part of the area now awaits a return to the hustle and bustle of the past with The Boulevard, a complex under construction west of William Floyd Parkway and north of the Long Island Expressway.
People at Upper Yaphank Lake Credit: Randee Daddona
It will include luxury rentals and townhomes, a Walmart Supercenter, restaurants and service-oriented shops, according to Michael Loguercio, Brookhaven Town councilman. "The complex plans include open green space that will stay that way," he says.
Fishing in Upper Yaphank Lake Credit: Randee Daddona
The rest of Yaphank remains laid-back. "Yaphank is a small, bucolic town with a lot of open space and a very small-town feel," says Chris Sosik of H&G Realty in Middle Island. Like most Long Island communities now, housing inventory is low, and demand is high, according to Sosik. "There are bidding wars, and houses are selling over asking price."
The Homan-Gerard House, which dates to 1820, is among several historical properties maintained by the Yaphank Historical Society. Credit: Randee Daddona
The storied community has several properties maintained by the Yaphank Historical Society. They are the Hawkins House, the Mary Louise Booth House, the Swezey-Avey House, and the Homan-Gerard House and Mills. "This is our passion, and we’ve been preserving homes and Yaphank history since 1974," says Helen Kalbach, curator at the historical society.
CONDOS AND CO-OPS
There are three condos on the market ranging in price from $289,990 to $719,000.
SALE PRICES
Between Jan. 31, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021, there were 29 home sales with a median sale price of $381,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $170,000 and the high was $635,000. During that period a year earlier, there were 33 home sales with a median sale price of $330,000. The price range was $170,000 to $540,000.
OTHER STATS
Town Brookhaven
Area 13.7 square miles
ZIP code 11980
Population 6,638
Median age 39.3
Median household income $101,250
Median home value $385,500*
Monthly LIRR ticket $461 from Yaphank
School districts and graduation rates Longwood 85%, South Country 83% (NYS average 83%)
Parks Dennis Puleston Warbler Woods Nature Preserve, Southaven County Park, Howie Carpluk Memorial Park
Library Longwood Public Library, Middle Island
Hospitals Long Island Community Hospital, Patchogue
Transit Suffolk County Transit bus route 68
SOURCES: 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; OneKey MLS; LIRR, sct-bus.org
*Based on 20 sales in the past six months, according to OneKey MLS
NOW ON THE MARKET
Priced at $719,000, this two-bedroom, 2½-bathroom condo on Grace Hall Lane is in the Country Pointe Meadows complex. Credit: Beechwood Homes|Country Pointe Meadows
$719,000
Located in the Country Pointe Meadows condo complex, this two-bedroom, 2½-bathroom developer-owned unit offers 2,187 square feet of living space with an open floor plan, custom millwork and a main-floor master suite. Taxes are $7,000. Mark Doneson, Premier Properties at Meadowbrook Pointe, 516-713-6626.
Priced at $450,000, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on Sommerset Drive in Yaphank sits on a 0.75-acre lot. Credit: Picture Perfect Photos/Sharon Sarinick
$450,000
Updates to this three-bedroom, two-bathroom high ranch include new triple-pane windows and an in-ground irrigation system. The home, in the South Country school district, sits on a 0.75-acre lot on a cul-de-sac. Taxes are $10,361. Tina Jahrsdoerfer, Signature Premier Properties, 631-585-8400.
Priced at $319,000, this condo with three bedrooms, one full bathroom and two half-baths is in the Whispering Pines complex in Yaphank. Credit: Marilyn Bonsignore
$319,000
This condo with three bedrooms, one full bathroom and two half-bathrooms is an end unit with an attached garage, and comes fresh off a renovation, with new windows, HVAC system, appliances and bathrooms. Taxes are $4,850. Marilyn Bonsignore, Century 21 Cor-Ace Realty, 631-878-3400.
RECENTLY SOLD
$635,000
Address Sommerset Drive
Style Victorian
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 3½
Built 2000
Lot size 0.89 acre
Taxes $13,215
+/- list price -$14,900
Days on market 126
$485,000
Address German Boulevard
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 2½
Built 2005
Lot size 1.25 acres
Taxes $11,800
+/- list price -$25,000
Days on market 113
$291,500
Address Private Road
Style High ranch
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 2
Built 1945
Lot size 0.34 acre
Taxes $5,573
+/- list price -$7,500
Days on market 171
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 9
Price range $289,990 to $719,000
Tax range $4,772 to $16,162
