Islandia buys building; will rent out space

Islandia is taking on a new role: landlord.

The village completed a $545,000 deal this week to buy a vacant building near Village Hall. It plans to turn the building into office and retail space and brand it Village of Islandia Commons.

A groundbreaking for the project, expected to be completed by Labor Day, is scheduled Saturday morning at 10 at the building at 16 S. Bedford Ave. The complex is also expected to house the village's Public Safety Unit; and Suffolk County police will have space, which officials said will serve as a crime deterrent.

"We're cleaning up a blight in the neighborhood that brings down property values," said village Mayor Allan M. Dorman. "With our public safety team having more visibility right there on the corner, it's very noticeable to people who have bad things on their mind."

Islandia resident Larry Aslanis, who owns a nearby insurance company, said the mayor informed him of the plans weeks ago. "Any neighborhood can use police presence; it can't hurt," Aslanis said.

Rosemary Speciale, a retired banker who's lived in the village for 39 years, said while it's a "great idea" for the village to take over the property, she'd prefer it be a social center.

"Lots of people have talked about that for many years -- a community center, perhaps a teen center, an elderly center," Speciale said. "I don't see how it's going to attract tenants, considering the vacancies in the Islandia shopping center and other commercial properties in the area."

Since it was built in 1979, the one-story, brick-and-concrete building on the well-trafficked corner has fronted a series of delis, a convenience store and a pizzeria. Since it's been vacant for about four years, the village board of trustees voted earlier this year to acquire the 2,400-square-foot building from Sunwash Realty Llc, floating a $545,000, five-year bond to make the purchase, Dorman said.

The village paid $425,000 -- a value appraised by a private company -- for the building and plans to use the remaining funds for renovations, including electrical work, a ceiling, and cooling and heating systems.

Dorman said the interest on the bond would be offset by tenants' rental payments.

Dorman, who works for a Manhattan-based real estate firm, said he handled the purchase, saving the village brokerage and real estate fees. "The village saved a ton of money," he said.

Cherie Peppe, who lives near the building, described it as an "eyesore" and expressed confidence that village officials would create something "beautiful. I'm glad they're doing something with it; it looks disgusting," said Peppe, 40, a stay-at-home mom who's lived in the village her whole life. "It's just an eyesore. Who wants to look at that?"