STony Brook or Port Jefferson (property taxes, housing, moving to)

[skyblupink]

Originally Posted by Lisamel

Wow! Another person moving south! It seems to be the trend lately. Carolinas or Georgia? It seems everyone is going to those two areas.
I have already lost 3 friends to the south. We considered it ourselves a while back, but I put the kabosh on it. I just couldn't get into the whole slow pace down there, although it is darn pretty. Boring, but very pretty.

N Carolina. I like the slow pace, seems like theres a hip town there called asheville to we want to check out. Two of my friends went to Florida, not so slow there though. Its nice as well.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by clamboy

Keep in mind Stony Brook taxes arent too bad either if you buy older.
or in strathmore by the college.
(University helps defer quite a bit)


The LIPA plant helps out the taxes in Port Jeff

It would be great if the tax relief didnt come with a pesky tumor

C

Contrary to that belief, SUNY SB does not pay taxes into the Three Village School District. A large part of the uproar around here when SUNYSB seized the Flowerfield/Gyrodyne propery through eminent domain was that the school district would be losing a few hundred acres to a non tax-paying entity.

The Baptist school on 25A and the Stony Brook School do not contribute a dime to the 3V schools, either.

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Contrary to that belief, SUNY SB does not pay taxes into the Three Village School District. A large part of the uproar around here when SUNYSB seized the Flowerfield/Gyrodyne propery through eminent domain was that the school district would be losing a few hundred acres to a non tax-paying entity.

The Baptist school on 25A and the Stony Brook School do not contribute a dime to the 3V schools, either.

We covered this a few weeks ago.

Thats wrong.

Bend over... you guys are gonna get Foleyd

C


C

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by AndreaII

Clamboy said the University helps with the taxes here in Three Village SD - not true at all (see quote below). In fact, SUNY at Stony Brook doesn't pay a shred of real estate taxes to the Three Village Schools. They are totally exempt.

Also, SUNY has apartments on campus on the hospital side of Nicolls Road that houses university students, and some of those students have children who attend our schools Three Village schools tax free. We, the taxpayers pick up their bill. Not the University. Shirley Kenny (president of the U.) has a small racket going on with that.

Recently Stony Brook acquired 100+ acres of Gyrodyne property. Currently they have buildings under construction there. It's along the lines of a technology park. You can see them from Stony Brook Road. They will pay NO TAXES for any of those buildings ever. That land acquisition took those used-to-be-paid real estate taxes off the books forever and should have resulted in increased RE taxes for the rest of us. Fortunately, NYS has made up the difference (don't remember the history of that, but I think it set a new precedent in terms of law).

I live in Strathmore - my taxes on my basementless house is around $8000/year and that's including STAR. So, taxes aren't all *that* low here.

Ward Melville HS has many more courses than Port Jefferson HS - but there are tradeoffs. I personally like the size of a smaller high school. More of a community feel. And sometimes those great course offerings we have at Three Village are cancelled due to budget or lack of enrollment.

Ward Melville has it's pros and cons. What I really think it all boils down to is what a student makes of the experience wherever they go to school. It's up to them to take part in extra curriculars, etc. or not.

Regarding towns, Port Jefferson actually has a town. It makes a nice destination and has a lot to offer in the way of entertainment at night. Doesn't roll up it's sidewalks by 8 PM.

Stony Brook has 3 strip mall shopping centers posing as a town. They are strip malls dressed up with nice street lights and well-maintained flowers. There are innumerable strip malls all along Route 25 if that's what turns you on. None of them are called towns. In Stony Brook there is a pretty millpond where you can feed the ducks and geese and even take a walk at Avalon Park in back of it. Also, the *town* area is very picturesque and Stony Brook Harbor is a stone's throw away along with a town beach right around the corner. Very quaint. Very pretty. However, there are only 2 restaurants open past 5 PM when the stores close for the day and other eateries close for the day. The place closes down. Very empty. Three strip malls do not make a town. At least not where I come from.

My choice would more than likely be for Port Jefferson - it's got the town, the town amenities (tennis anyone?), community feel, etc. Quality schools. Hard to go wrong with that.


Clamboy's Quote:

Keep in mind Stony Brook taxes arent too bad either if you buy older.
or in strathmore by the college.
(University helps defer quite a bit)

Your taxes aren't too bad -- there are people in other parts of Brookhaven paying more for less. My section of town (N of 25A called 'The Gardens' by local RE agents) has a wide range of taxes, some low ($3Ks) going up and into the teens. I have 3/4 acre and a house that's tiny compared to Strathmore; I pay less than you, but not that much less.

Don't forget the Stony Brook School across from the LIRR is tax exempt as a 'religious' institution. They own a good number of houses that border their property (also tax exempt by merit of their owning it.) They use these houses to house their teachers and guess what? These teachers are sending their darlings to our elementary and secondary schools! Almost as bad as SUNY. The Baptist bible school a little further west on 25A is exempt, but I am unsure as to whether or not they send children to our schools.

The seizure of the Gyrodyne land was a travesty and subsequent PILOT the district was awarded was blood money. Yes, a precedent was established, but what's a PILOT when the tax base is lost to us forever? And what is to prevent Kenny's Raiders from building more graduate dorm housing over there -- sending more tax free kids into our schools?

What is happening with the plans to build a large hotel on the SUNY property? That would really suck -- a commercial enterprise sitting on tax free land. About 2 years ago they had surveyors in there...wheels turn slow...

The folks in Long Hill really have to worry (for those unaware, it is the neighborhood bordered by SUNY on 2 sides and the Gyrodyne/SUNY land on the third side.)

As for the Village: are you familiar with the history (pre reconstruction) of that area? It always was a commercial district. I don't agree with the way Ward Melville moved some of the structures around, or the way he demolished some lovely older homes (I have a huge antique postcard collection and some of these homes are on postcards in it.) His recreation was (at that time) a community oriented center where the relocated butcher, pharmacist, insurance agent, real estate agent, post office, bowling alley, grocery, (to name a few) opened their brand new shops North Fork Bank building started life in that very spot in 1911; The Tea House/Three Village Inn has also witnessed many things while standing sentinal over both incarnations of SBV.

Over the course of time, 'progress' saw some changes in the 'new' old Village area -- owners died, new supermarkets opened in nearby towns and people stopped using the local butcher or grocery, etc. A pompous woman at the helm of the Stony Brook Community Fund saw to it that our village became her playground. In comes the boutiques and chain upscale shops. The last market left the village in 1992?1994? The pharmacist was gone by the late 90's.

There are currently 4 dining establishments open later than the shops in the Village: the Three Village Inn, The Brook House, Pentimentos and Fratellis -- more of a deli, but awesome food and tables to sit at to enjoy it. Fratellis closes about 8, the rest are open much later. I don't know what time the Golden Pear closes, so I have omitted it, lest I pass along bad info.

It's difficult to compare PJV and SBV -- while both are touristy, SBV is more of a refined lady while PJV is a loud, colorful friend.

PJV gets more daytrippers by virtue of the huge number of restaurants, bars and tchotke shops all within walking distance of the ferry. It's a great place to hang out at night, whereas SB gets snoozy and rolls up the sidewalks. There are plenty of great spots to get a bite to eat, to meet with friends and pass the time.

One downside to PJV is the traffic during peak hang out time, the bikers making noise, gaggles of kids milling about on the sidewalks making it difficult to pass, guys blasting loud music from their cars. Sometimes it feels a little cityish.

The schools are what one makes of them. Both districts offer many opportunities and advantages -- the needs of the student would truly determine which is better for them. I wouldn't hesitate in sending my children to either school district.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by clamboy

We covered this a few weeks ago.

Thats wrong.

Bend over... you guys are gonna get Foleyd

C


C

Sorry I was late on the conversation....mea culpa!

However I have provided an article which has a statement reiterating that state-owned land is exempt from property taxes. It is primarily about the PILOT, but the reason any of us fought for the PILOT was because the land was made exempt during eminent domain.

Get Foleyd -- I am sure you don't mean ****. That's happening to a lot of Crookhaven.

Article:

Governor approves Gyrodyne PILOT payments
By Elizabeth W. SobelAugust 24, 2006 | 11:07 AM
Three Village and Smithtown school districts will receive PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) from New York State on the former Gyrodyne property acquired last year by Stony Brook University (SBU).

Last week Governor George Pataki signed into law the legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) and Senator John Flanagan (R-East Northport). It will provide the school districts with annual property tax relief totaling $210,000, the amount lost due to the eminent domain acquisition by SBU.

Flanagan and Englebright held a press conference on the front steps of the Three Village school district administration office on Monday afternoon, joined by Superintendent of Schools Frank Carasiti, Board of Education President Stuart Fourman and Trustee Jacqueline Rudman, to announce the signing, first reported Friday on the Village Times Herald website.

"It is gratifying to have helped guide into law this vital legislative relief for local taxpayers and school districts," Englebright said about the unprecedented move by the governor. "Although it is rare for such bold new state policy to be established, it was worth the effort, for to have failed to do so would have both allowed a tax injustice to stand and would have reversed the hard-earned perception that the state can be a good neighbor. This new law means that SUNY at Stony Brook, Long Island's largest employer, can continue to grow new jobs for our entire region without imposing an unfair property tax penalty upon just those citizens who happen to live in neighboring school districts."

Flanagan said no one believed this law would be signed, but that a veto by the governor would have sent a negative message. "This change will make sure that the taxpayers in the Smithtown and Three Village school districts are protected from assuming the loss of tax payments from the Gyrodyne property," Flanagan said, "and that is the right approach. The property tax burden is too high now and the residents of both of these school districts should be assisted by the state in any way possible. I applaud the governor for signing this new law."

When SBU acquired the 246-acre Gyrodyne property, also called Flowerfield, last year, it was removed from the tax roles. State-owned lands are exempt from property taxes, which may result in financial hardship to bordering school districts. The university has plans to build a research and development (R&D) campus on the site, beginning with the Center for Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT). Construction is expected to begin sometime this year, and just two weeks ago the entranceway onto Stony Brook Road was cleared. When completed, some private companies are expected to partner with SBU in R&D projects at the site.

According to the justification section of both the Senate and Assembly bills, SBU represents 7.32 percent of the total assessed value of property within the Three Village school district, and taxes on the Gyrodyne land would equate to approximately $125,000 in annual revenue to the district. Likewise, Smithtown school district stood to lose approximately $84,000 annually on the small portion of land that lies within St. James.

"We are very grateful to the governor and to Senator Flanagan and Assemblyman Englebright," Carasiti said. "We are a district with hard financial times and we hope there will be a new collaborative effort between Three Village schools and the university. This means we can keep two teachers in the classrooms. Our class sizes are some of the largest in Suffolk County and keeping teachers in the classroom helps keep class size down."

Fourman also applauded the governor. "Financing for excellence in education, something Three Village school district is known for, is increasingly more difficult," Fourman said. "Now we can do this more easily."

Flanagan explained that this particular legislation does not directly affect the other 63 SUNY campuses. However the law could have repercussions for other state campuses with future plans for expansion, and Flanagan said some legislators in Albany have taken note of the signing of the legislation.

Englebright noted that the state has granted the property tax relief with no strings attached. Usually, state monies granted to a school district are accompanied with restrictions.

"In this case, it is just generalized operational support," Englebright said. "The state leaves it up to the Board of Education to decide how to spend the money."

Rudman noted that the coming school year's budget passed by a slim margin and any extra funds such as the tax relief payment provided on the Gyrodyne property will help the school district stay above water.

"The community was also so involved with the process," Carasiti said. "I think the news will have a great psychological effect."

SBU spokesperson Pat Calabria said of the new legislation, "If that's the law, that's what we will do. We are pleased that the community is happy."

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

Sorry I was late on the conversation....mea culpa!

However I have provided an article which has a statement reiterating that state-owned land is exempt from property taxes. It is primarily about the PILOT, but the reason any of us fought for the PILOT was because the land was made exempt during eminent domain.

Get Foleyd -- I am sure you don't mean ****. That's happening to a lot of Crookhaven.

Article:

Governor approves Gyrodyne PILOT payments
By Elizabeth W. Sobel
August 24, 2006 | 11:07 AM
Three Village and Smithtown school districts will receive PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) from New York State on the former Gyrodyne property acquired last year by Stony Brook University (SBU).

Last week Governor George Pataki signed into law the legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) and Senator John Flanagan (R-East Northport). It will provide the school districts with annual property tax relief totaling $210,000, the amount lost due to the eminent domain acquisition by SBU.

Flanagan and Englebright held a press conference on the front steps of the Three Village school district administration office on Monday afternoon, joined by Superintendent of Schools Frank Carasiti, Board of Education President Stuart Fourman and Trustee Jacqueline Rudman, to announce the signing, first reported Friday on the Village Times Herald website.

"It is gratifying to have helped guide into law this vital legislative relief for local taxpayers and school districts," Englebright said about the unprecedented move by the governor. "Although it is rare for such bold new state policy to be established, it was worth the effort, for to have failed to do so would have both allowed a tax injustice to stand and would have reversed the hard-earned perception that the state can be a good neighbor. This new law means that SUNY at Stony Brook, Long Island's largest employer, can continue to grow new jobs for our entire region without imposing an unfair property tax penalty upon just those citizens who happen to live in neighboring school districts."

Flanagan said no one believed this law would be signed, but that a veto by the governor would have sent a negative message. "This change will make sure that the taxpayers in the Smithtown and Three Village school districts are protected from assuming the loss of tax payments from the Gyrodyne property," Flanagan said, "and that is the right approach. The property tax burden is too high now and the residents of both of these school districts should be assisted by the state in any way possible. I applaud the governor for signing this new law."

When SBU acquired the 246-acre Gyrodyne property, also called Flowerfield, last year, it was removed from the tax roles. State-owned lands are exempt from property taxes, which may result in financial hardship to bordering school districts. The university has plans to build a research and development (R&D) campus on the site, beginning with the Center for Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT). Construction is expected to begin sometime this year, and just two weeks ago the entranceway onto Stony Brook Road was cleared. When completed, some private companies are expected to partner with SBU in R&D projects at the site.

According to the justification section of both the Senate and Assembly bills, SBU represents 7.32 percent of the total assessed value of property within the Three Village school district, and taxes on the Gyrodyne land would equate to approximately $125,000 in annual revenue to the district. Likewise, Smithtown school district stood to lose approximately $84,000 annually on the small portion of land that lies within St. James.

"We are very grateful to the governor and to Senator Flanagan and Assemblyman Englebright," Carasiti said. "We are a district with hard financial times and we hope there will be a new collaborative effort between Three Village schools and the university. This means we can keep two teachers in the classrooms. Our class sizes are some of the largest in Suffolk County and keeping teachers in the classroom helps keep class size down."

Fourman also applauded the governor. "Financing for excellence in education, something Three Village school district is known for, is increasingly more difficult," Fourman said. "Now we can do this more easily."

Flanagan explained that this particular legislation does not directly affect the other 63 SUNY campuses. However the law could have repercussions for other state campuses with future plans for expansion, and Flanagan said some legislators in Albany have taken note of the signing of the legislation.

Englebright noted that the state has granted the property tax relief with no strings attached. Usually, state monies granted to a school district are accompanied with restrictions.

"In this case, it is just generalized operational support," Englebright said. "The state leaves it up to the Board of Education to decide how to spend the money."

Rudman noted that the coming school year's budget passed by a slim margin and any extra funds such as the tax relief payment provided on the Gyrodyne property will help the school district stay above water.

"The community was also so involved with the process," Carasiti said. "I think the news will have a great psychological effect."

SBU spokesperson Pat Calabria said of the new legislation, "If that's the law, that's what we will do. We are pleased that the community is happy."

Yikes

Small bit o trivia.

RP Carasiti Elemenaty school is named after your Supt.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by clamboy

Yikes

Small bit o trivia.

RP Carasiti Elemenaty school is named after your Supt.

I've had the *cough* pleasure of meeting and sitting down with Frank Carasiti.

[41Willys]

I grew up in Stony Brook. (The "M" section) Went too Melville for 3 years, and no both towns pretty well. Like someone above said they are "both" touristy. PJ by far has a better downtown feel. They dont roll up the sidewalks at 8:00, but at 12:00 the cops clear the streets!

Stony Brook has the Old Town feel. I was getting my hair cut by "Sal" the barber! And to the best of my knowledge he is still in town cutting hair.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by 41Willys

I grew up in Stony Brook. (The "M" section) Went too Melville for 3 years, and no both towns pretty well. Like someone above said they are "both" touristy. PJ by far has a better downtown feel. They dont roll up the sidewalks at 8:00, but at 12:00 the cops clear the streets!

Stony Brook has the Old Town feel. I was getting my hair cut by "Sal" the barber! And to the best of my knowledge he is still in town cutting hair.

Sal is the SB Yenta. You want to know something -- go to Sal. You want to get something known -- go to Sal.

[Lisamel]

I've been to that barber shop a lot of times with my son. I just love the old town feel of it.
And I wouldn't complain with $8 in property taxes. Mine are over 20!
And we get no library, no town, and a stupid park that took years to make and isn't finished yet.
I've also been thinking of moving to Connecticut. More house and better community than a lot of places around here.