stony brook

[iluvmycuties]

[quote=OhBeeHave;3304219]

Originally Posted by vlorak

ok here's one. there are so many 550k and under with 6-8000 taxes within that school district. here is one just for reference
Refer to MLS Number 2059524[/quote

Hi!

I live in Old Stony Brook (N of 25A) and this house is on 14 Bayles Ave, which runs south of 25A about 2 blocks west of the LI Museum. It abuts the LIRR tracks, which are street level. Years ago I looked at a home near this, but didn't like the idea of the LIRR and a small child. On the other side of the tracks is the SUNY Stony Brook campus. SUNY has been expanding their dorm facilities rather aggressively -- there is a dorm practically down the street from this house. The realtor makes it sound lovely with the nature preserve, but the bottomline is your sandwiched between the train, SUNY & 25A.

The other house, 4 Buxmont Lane, is in the B section, bordered by Nicolls, Rte 347 and from what I recall, Buxmont borders/backs a very busy medical park. As KB wrote, it's a Strathmore home, so be careful with the construction.

As for the school district, it is a fine district and one of the better ones in Suffolk County.

Many of the lower priced homes in Stony Brook are Strathmore, south of 25A, in undesirable locations (i.e. LIRR or busy street) or are in dire need of repair.

Lake Grove is NOT a part of the Three Villages proper, although some homes might be within the district. Lake Grove is south of 347.

I hope this gives you some answers, if you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

A lot of people who live north of 25A say that south of 25A is undesirable...soooo not true. The "S" section is a fabulous development for families who have a certain price range and are looking for safe streets for bicycle riding for their children. That section has 2 parks/playgrounds, has holiday celebrations in these parks for only the people in that development, has a mommy and me just for that development, and various other get-togethers. The club is called the "Circle of Friends" and it has a website. Yes, the homes were built by tract builders, but families have been making the necessary repairs. Also, the LIRR runs nowhere near any of the Strathmore homes...at all. It runs slightly through East Setauket, near one of the most desirable developments, and then proceeds along 25a, and then goes through Saint James...all you have to do is mapquest it to see. We almost bought a home NORTH of 25 a on Lotowana...luckily, our engineer found that half the foundation was missing. So I think it is fair to say that a house can be in need of repair whether or not you are north or south of 25a. We actually found that north of 25a didn't have enough secluded streets for the children to play. Most of the northern sections are cut by Christian Ave, Quaker Path, Mt. Grey, Thompsons, Ridgeway, etc...and people fly by on those streets. You will also find that south of 25a is Island Estates, a HIGHLY desirable development throughout Three Village school district. There is also Minnesauke Elementary School, one of THE MOST desired (out of the 5 elementaries)in the district b/c it has the best student/teacher ratio...that too is south of 25a. So just look for a home that you love, and a school that you love, and don't worry about what is desired by other people...it is what YOU desire that counts. Best of luck!

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by vlorak

is there something wrong with stony brook and/or lake grove?

For those who may not be familiar with Stony Brook:

Stony Brook is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northwest part of the Town of Brookhaven, in the north-central part of Suffolk County, along the Brookhaven/Smithtown town line.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Stony Brook in the Town of Brookhaven is bordered on the north by the Village of Old Field; on the east by the Hamlet of Setauket-East Setauket; on the south by the Village of Lake Grove; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Saint James and the Village of Head of the Harbor in the Town of Smithtown (the Brookhaven/Smithtown town line) and Long Island Sound.





The Hamlet of Stony Brook has a different border than does the "Stony Brook, NY 11790 and 11794" ZIP Code postal zones (i.e., a place can have a "Stony Brook, NY 11790 and 11794" mailing address and not be in the Hamlet of Stony Brook): places that have a "Stony Brook, NY 11790 and 11794" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Stony Brook are in the Village of Old Field and in the Hamlet of Setauket-East Setauket.



For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns (3 in Nassau County and 10 in Suffolk County): http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-resource.html

[Walter Greenspan]

Originally Posted by vlorak

is there something wrong with stony brook and/or lake grove?

For those who may not be familiar with Lake Grove:

Lake Grove is a village (incorporated in 1968) in the northwest part of the Town of Brookhaven, in the central part of Suffolk County, along the Brookhaven/Smithtown town line.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Village of Lake Grove in the Town of Brookhaven is bordered on the north by the Hamlet of Stony Brook; on the east by the Hamlet of Centereach and the Hamlet of Lake Ronkonkoma; on the south by the Hamlet of Lake Ronkonkoma; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Lake Ronkonkoma, the Hamlet of Nesconset and the Hamlet of St. James, all in the Town of Smithtown (the Brookhaven/Smithtown town line).





The Village of Lake Grove has a different border than does the "Lake Grove, NY 11755" ZIP Code postal zone (there are places that have "Lake Grove, NY 11755" mailing address that are not in the Village of Lake Grove and there are places in the Village of Lake Grove with other than a "Lake Grove, NY 11755" mailing address): places that have a "Lake Grove, NY 11755" mailing address that are not in the Village of Lake Grove are in the Hamlet of Nesconset, the Hamlet of Lake Ronkonkoma and the Hamlet of Centereach; and, at the same time, there are places in the Village of Lake Grove that have a "Nesconset, NY 11767" mailing address.



For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns (3 in Nassau County and 10 in Suffolk County): http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-resource.html

[OhBeeHave]

[quote=iluvmycuties;3388989]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

A lot of people who live north of 25A say that south of 25A is undesirable...soooo not true. The "S" section is a fabulous development for families who have a certain price range and are looking for safe streets for bicycle riding for their children. That section has 2 parks/playgrounds, has holiday celebrations in these parks for only the people in that development, has a mommy and me just for that development, and various other get-togethers. The club is called the "Circle of Friends" and it has a website. Yes, the homes were built by tract builders, but families have been making the necessary repairs. Also, the LIRR runs nowhere near any of the Strathmore homes...at all. It runs slightly through East Setauket, near one of the most desirable developments, and then proceeds along 25a, and then goes through Saint James...all you have to do is mapquest it to see. We almost bought a home NORTH of 25 a on Lotowana...luckily, our engineer found that half the foundation was missing. So I think it is fair to say that a house can be in need of repair whether or not you are north or south of 25a. We actually found that north of 25a didn't have enough secluded streets for the children to play. Most of the northern sections are cut by Christian Ave, Quaker Path, Mt. Grey, Thompsons, Ridgeway, etc...and people fly by on those streets. You will also find that south of 25a is Island Estates, a HIGHLY desirable development throughout Three Village school district. There is also Minnesauke Elementary School, one of THE MOST desired (out of the 5 elementaries)in the district b/c it has the best student/teacher ratio...that too is south of 25a. So just look for a home that you love, and a school that you love, and don't worry about what is desired by other people...it is what YOU desire that counts. Best of luck!

I think that my post wasn't clear, so please reread my post; I wrote that the property at Bayles abuts the LIRR. There is no mention of any alphabet/Levitt/Strathmore sections abutting the trains. The B section home I wrote about is in an area which abuts a medical park.

I had written

Many of the lower priced homes in Stony Brook are Strathmore, south of 25A, in undesirable locations (i.e. LIRR or busy street) or are in dire need of repair.

I did not mean for this to insinuate that all homes south of 25A are in undesirable locations, merely the ones which are on the mlsli.com site which are very low priced. If the price isn't jiving with similar properties listed, that's a red flag. Perhaps I should have clarified that better.

Don't forget that Setauket is cut apart by Old Post, Upper and Lower Sheep Pasture, Pond, Main St, North Country Rd, Old Town Road, Bennets, Mark Tree, 347, etc and most of those are even more heavily used than those you mentioned in Stony Brook. That cop on Old Post, who lies in wait with his radar gun, isn't there to count the sheep.....

For people who like development living, there is nothing wrong with the developments south of 25A. Those of us who prefer older, historic and unique architecture buy homes like that which tend to be situated north of 25A. They are two different lifestyles, and to agree with what you had written, "So just look for a home that you love, and a school that you love, and don't worry about what is desired by other people...it is what YOU desire that counts." That's very true.

North of 25A there are plenty of secluded, narrow winding streets, some dead ends, some short and narrow. We live in the suburbs, with large yards. Children do not need to play in the streets. Our children have the option of walking upon sidewalks to the beach, Avalon and to the yacht club. Concerned parents would have to worry about their children's safety if they were to take such a walk from the developments such as Strathmore, the M section, the B section, the University Heights section, etc.

One thing that occurs is once the children start school, they make friends all over the place. They'll be playing in all different neighborhoods within the community. It's the great equalizer. Suddenly home is boring and they'll want to play at Jane's house, but Jane lives on a busy street....

As for construction problems -- they are all over and I merely echoed KB's sentiment. The homes over on Lotowana (as well as throughout all of LI) have issues, I looked at an old cottage there 13 years ago and it had a piecemeal foundation. That's what happened as people expanded over the years. The reality is some people fancy themselves handy Andys and they do more harm than good. I've seen houses in the Three Village Club with issues and those people paid out the nose for those homes. I've seen solid built homes in Long Hill, and been in 200 year old houses which were built to last, but had 'modern' additions tied into them which were a shambles. There are houses slammed up with grading issues, houses with termites, improperly converted summer cottages -- they are all over the place.

I think we need to agree that desirable is in the eye of the beholder. Some folks might like the large new home, while others prefer a cozy, antique dwelling. Some folks might like the feel of a development, while others prefer a variety of architectural styles. Others might want to live close to main roads for commutes, while others want to be a bit off the beaten path and spend a little more time having to get where their going.

[iluvmycuties]

I think everyone in Stony Brook has some large properties. I was stressing that you would want secluded streets for bicycle riding purposes. You cannot ride your bicycle on your lovely grass.

I think the college section has a lot of through traffic because Mount is behind it; however, just take a drive through the "M" or "S" sections...they are little enclaves made for families. Yes, eventually all things good back up to a main road. You can get struck by a car trying to cross a street to get to Avalon (which I love!) or the duckpond during the summer, or anywhere near the village for that matter. And as for the yacht club...really, how many people are walking their children there, unless they are members? Unless you mean to fish or boat, then that is another story. We used to drive the 3 minuutes from our home, park our car, and enjoy ourselves, same as everyone else. But these developments each have at least 1 park/playground. And how many people north of 25 a are having holiday parties/events/mommy and me's?

I am in no way accusing YOU, Beehave of this, but your post did stress a point...there are people north of 25a who think very differently of south of 25a, whether it be houses or people. There are those who choose their home for the aesthetic value, and there are those who choose to stay away from the blue collar development people. Once again Beehave, this is not directed at you, but I wanted to point out something that is well-known, yet rarely spoken. There is desirability in terms of housing, and desirability in terms of people.

Yes, the children eventually all mix when they get around to Gelinas or Murphy, but the class distinction is still there in some ways. The children may not be aware of anything, but they soon learn from their parents what and how to distinguish. One of my dearest friends, now mid 30's, grew up in the Arrowhead section of East Setauket. Her main goal in life was moving into a home north of 25a. She bought a shabby cape, but she just HAD to go north. SOMETHING, or SOMEONE was the catalyst for that mindset of hers. She got it our of her system, and then thought it was acceptable to move to Island Estates.

Even some of the people who live in the strathmore developments make a move before their children get to the junior high schools. A big reason (and I heard this the first day I moved into my home in the "S" section) is b/c they don't want their children going to school with the few kids coming into the district from Lake Grove, Centereach, and certain parts of S. Setauket. We eventually moved out of the district b/c we were looking for smaller schools. But even to this day, I still am still astonished by what some parents told me to "watch out for" when junior high time comes for my children.

The class distinction is HUGE in Three Village. I'm in Port Jeff now, and yes, you have Belle Terre, but that is about it. People here don't seem to care what area you're from. Granted, the financial situations vary here, as with any other town, but the distinction is not as overt. It is probably b/c it is a small village as opposed to a few towns falling under one school district, such as Three Village. I know what Three Village offers (and it offers a LOT to the students), but I think we thought it best for OUR children to have something smaller. Like we both agreed on, it really comes down to desirability for the individual.

[JudiPatooti]

I'm in shock that someone, the OP, thinks that houses in Stony Brook are inexpensive with lower taxes!!! I've been on LI for 60 years and never heard that one before!

[PONYPULR]

Me too, Miss Patooti!!