Revitalization perks up New Cassel, officials say
![A sign welcomes visitors to New Cassel.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AYTg4ODZjZWMtYzJmZC00%3AZWMtYzJmZC00NTlhN2Y5%2Fhobuying191101_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
A sign welcomes visitors to New Cassel. Credit: Danielle Silverman
THE SCOOP New Cassel's downtown is thriving, thanks to revitalization, say community leaders in this Nassau County hamlet. "There’s a sense of pride in the New Cassel community that hadn’t been there," says Bishop Lionel Harvey, former chief executive officer of the Unified New Cassel Community Revitalization Corporation.
The changes began about 15 years ago, Harvey says. New roadway medians and lighting have "beautified the area," says Harvey, pointing out that the community also now welcomes visitors with signs on lampposts in Haitian Creole, Spanish and English. “We tried to meet the needs of all the people that encompass the immediate area of New Cassel,” says Harvey, who presides over the First Baptist Cathedral of Westbury.
Developments in the area include the recently finished roadway underpass and pedestrian walkway at Urban Avenue at the Long Island Rail Road crossing, part of Metropolitan Transportation Authority's expansion project to build a third track for its main line in Nassau County, according to articles in Newsday. “It’s a great asset to the community," says Viviana Russell, a member of the North Hempstead Town Council. "We no longer have the grade crossing, which was problematic, not just for the railroad, but for the community." She says the changes should prevent fatalities there, train delays and traffic on Old Country Road, a main thoroughfare in New Cassel.
![Martin "Bunky" Reid Park in New Cassel.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3ANjVjMjk2ZDQtM2MzZS00%3AZDQtM2MzZS00NTlkODBk%2Fhobuying191101_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D768%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Martin "Bunky" Reid Park in New Cassel. Credit: Danielle Silverman
A 12,000-square-foot, three-story mixed-use building, which will have ground-floor commercial space and 10 one-bedroom apartments on the upper levels, is slated to open soon, says Russell.
“For years, this community has wanted a bank,” Russell says of the area around Prospect Avenue, a main thoroughfare. “And so now, we’re getting a financial institution in the form of a credit union, which is fantastic." A medical clinic is also coming, which, she says, is "always great to have in a local downtown community.”
![Prospect Avenue in New Cassel.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3ANDJkYjE0MzEtMDlkNy00%3AMzEtMDlkNy00OTEwZDBk%2Fhobuying191101_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D768%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Prospect Avenue in New Cassel. Credit: Danielle Silverman
Selfhelp Community Services, a company that provides home health aides, is moving into the last vacant spot of Gateway to New Cassel, a 19,740-square-foot, four-story development on Prospect Avenue where there’s already a restaurant, West Indian grocery store and barber shop, among other businesses, as well as 57 apartments above, says Russell.
The North Hempstead Housing Authority has repurposed the once-blighted property of the former Grand Street School into 77 one- and two-bedroom senior apartments, right next door to Magnolia Gardens, another affordable senior complex that will open in the spring.
“It’s beautiful,” says Russell. “It is top notch. Everything is high end. You would not think it’s an affordable housing initiative.”
Playground equipment at Martin "Bunky" Reid Park is being upgraded, says Russell, adding that North Hempstead Town will build a spray feature for children. Other parks in the community include Gateway Park and Swalm Park.
The community's Century 21 department store is slated to move to Roosevelt Field in Garden City in the spring of 2021, when its lease is up. “We will be redeveloping the site,” says Jordan Sanders, executive vice president of Sanders Equities, which owns the Old Country Road building. Plans have not been announced, he says.
Home sales in the area are steady, says Ray Bonilla, an agent with Platinum Winners Realty in Westbury.
“I’m selling houses over a half-million dollars in New Cassel,” says Bonilla, noting that most of the homes are Capes and high-ranches, with many split-levels and ranch-style homes as well. “The market is very strong.”
CONDOS AND COOPS
There are no condos or coops on the market.
SALES PRICES
Between Oct. 1, 2018 and Oct. 28, 2019, there were 336 home sales in Westbury, which includes homes in New Cassel, with a median sales price of $475,000, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price was $125,755 and the high price was $950,000. During that period a year earlier, there were 325 home sales with a median sales price of $465,000. The low price was $175,000 and the high price was $990,000.
OTHER STATS
Town: North Hempstead
Area: 1.5 square miles
ZIP code: 11590
Population: 14,321
Median Age: 32.1
Median household income: $88,289
Median home value: $334,300
LIRR to NYC: 42 mins.
Monthly ticket: $308
School district: Westbury
Sources, US Census, 2017 American Community Survey; LIRR
NOW ON THE MARKET
$479,000
![This New Cassel home is listed for $479,900.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AYTEzYjI2ZDYtMTIyMy00%3AZDYtMTIyMy00ZDA2ZDcw%2Fhobuying191101_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D768%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
This New Cassel home is listed for $479,900. Credit: Alexey Gold-Dvoryadkin
This 1951 Cape has four bedrooms and one bathroom and is on a 70-by-100-foot lot. There is a wood-burning fireplace in the living room. Annual property taxes are $12,313. Listing agent: Jacob Nisim, New Age Realty Group, 516-877-7977
$459,999
![This New Castle home is listed for $459,999.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AMGY3MmU1NWMtZWZmYS00%3ANWMtZWZmYS00YjQwYmEy%2Fhobuying191101_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D768%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
This New Castle home is listed for $459,999. Credit: Ramon Bonilla
There are five bedrooms and two bathrooms in this 1948 expanded Cape, which is on a 60-by-100-foot lot. The house has a one-car garage. Annual property taxes are $9,660. Listing agent: Ramon Bonilla, Platinum Winners, 516-997-3677
$599,000
![This New Cassel home is on the market for $599,000.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AMmJmMzRlNDgtZWRlMy00%3ANDgtZWRlMy00NzJjNDRm%2Fhobuying191101_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D768%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
This New Cassel home is on the market for $599,000. Credit: Photo by Alexandros Giannakis
Built in 1962, this split-level on a 50-by-100-foot lot contains an updated kitchen, central air conditioning and hardwood floors. There are four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Annual property taxes are $13,812. Listing agent: Nicholas Speirs, Alexander Madison Realty, 516-307-0800
RECENTLY SOLD
$430,000
Address Whittier Street
Style Cape
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 2
Built 1948
Lot size 60x100
Taxes $6,808
Increased $10,010
Days on the market 167
$520,000
Address Ridge Drive
Style Split Level
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 2 ½
Built 1955
Lot size 60x100
Taxes $12,887
Increased $21,000
Days on the market 92
$697,500
Address Hollow Court
Style Split Level
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 3 ½
Built 1955
Lot size 68x105
Taxes $12,429
Reduced $17,500
Days on the market 162
WHAT'S FOR SALE*
Number of houses 143
Price range $225,000 to $1.299 million
Tax range $4,205 to $21,723
SOURCE: MLSLI.COM
*Includes all homes for sale in Westbury, which includes New Cassel on MLSLI.COM
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