Condo Proposal Pitched For Seaford Avenue School Property

The first formal offer to purchase the former Seaford Avenue School property has been made.

The Engel Burman Group has offered to buy the 5.6-acre property for $3.4 million and construct 113 condo units. Scott Burman, a partner for the Garden City-based developer, delivered a short presentation about its vision for the property at Thursday evening’s Board of Education meeting at .

Burman said the multi-family housing proposal would generate roughly $800,000 a year in taxes including around $500,000 for the Seaford School District. He said the property is more ideal for multi-family housing than assisted living since it is not located in a commercial area.

"When we build assisted living we typically like to look for very high-traffic locations almost like a retail location and I'm just not quite sure this fits that profile," Burman said. "I do though think its perfect for some multi-family housing."

The developer’s Seasons at East Meadow project currently under construction, which is designed for homeowners age 55 and older, was described by Burman as being similar to what they envision for Seaford.

The former elementary school is being marketed for sale by Woodbury-based Greiner-Maltz, which was this past June by the Seaford Board of Education as the commercial real estate firm best suited to help determine the property's future. After closing in 1981, the 1939-built Seaford Avenue School building served as the home of Five Towns College and most recently Nassau BOCES until its lease expired last year. The property was last appraised at $4 million in 2005.

Any proposal for the Seaford Avenue School would need to be approved by voters in a referendum. Seaford Board of Education president Brian Fagan said after Thursday’s meeting there is no timetable for making a recommendation on a plan to head to voters.

Late last year, the Seaford School District issued a community input that 643 district residents responded to on what to do with the former elementary school. The survey showed strong opposition to many options for the property, but did indicate support for maintaining the three youth baseball fields on the land.