Samuel Marcus Licensed Associate Broker

The SCA fair is one of my family's favorite Manhasset events. It is almost hear! It will be held at the Munsey Park School on May 3^rd. I would strongly recommend that all new residents attend. It will be a great time and it is a great way to meet people.

In addition to many games, activities and rides, the fair has an exotic food tent, arts and crafts. There will be raffles with great prizes. I have found it is a good idea to purchase tickets in advance. For more information visit the SCA web site

Have Fun!

There is a proposal to develop the Gothic inspired Christ Church on Northern Blvd. in Manhasset by Jobco Realty and Construction. Read the Manhasset Press article, Christ Church Property Proposed Development, for more details.

There have been public hearings regarding the proposed development and will be more in the future. I plan on attending the future hearings. The basic plan is to build a 4 story condo complex that will have a maximum of 61 units.

Many concerns have been raised and some proposed solutions. I see both sides of the issue and am looking forward to hearing how many concerns will be managed.

I have always been under the impression that the reason Manhasset was built with septic systems as opposed to public sewers is to prevent multiple dwellings from being built. I thought this was done in an effort to keep the small town and community flavor. Is this changing?

Will the existing sewer system be sufficient? Will this construction set a precedent for future multiple dwelling constructions? (Pave the way?) How will it affect pedestrian and street traffic?

I wonder who might purchase in the condo. Will it be existing empty nester residents down sizing from a 4 bedroom house? The purchasers for their homes may be families with school age children. Are the schools prepared to handle an increase in students?

There seems to be many tax benefits for the community and an increased number of residents will help local businesses. I am curious to see how these issues unfold. What are your thoughts?

For all of your real estate needs in Manhasset please visit www.CoopsToCastles.com

Many residents of Manhasset are interested in the Board of Education's budget. The Manhasset Board of Education will be providing budget information to the public at regularly scheduled board meetings. Residents are encouraged to attend these meetings and respond to the preliminary budget information. Final decisions regarding the budget will not be made until the board listens to the community's concerns and comments. Budget information will be available at the meetings and on the district's website http://www.manhasset.k-12.ny.us/. The scheduled board meetings are as follows;

Thursday, March 13^th at 8:00 PM - Informal hearing at the Shelter Rock School

Thursday, March 27^th at 8:00 PM - Informal hearing at the Munsey Park School

Thursday, April 10^th at 8:00 PM - The Board will approve proposed 2008-2009 budget at the high school

The annual school budget vote is Tuesday, May 20^th at 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM at the Manhasset High School gymnasium. Remember, residents must be registered to vote.

For all your real estate needs in Manhasset please visit our site http://www.CoopsToCastles.com

Spring is right around the corner. One of the best benefits of being a Great Neck resident is enjoying its parks. In order to take full advantage of the parks and the wonderful programs the Parks District has to offer you will need a valid park card. If you are getting your first card or need to renew your existing card go to the Great Neck House to do it. The Great Neck House hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday between 10:00 to 6:00, Thursday 10:00 to 8:00, Saturday 9:00 to 4:00 and Sunday 11:00 to 4:00.

As many of my readers know, I have recently moved to Manhasset with my wife Janet and son Andrew. Manhasset is a wonderful community and I am thoroughly enjoying living and working here. Janet is very familiar with Manhasset having been a long time resident but I had a learning curve. One of the first things I did before moving to Manhasset was to learn about the area. Manhasset is comprised of several areas that are all wonderful but seem to have different characteristics and personalities. The buyers that I have worked with all seem to be interested in this information as well.

A very experienced home specialist in Manhasset, Marie Pellegrino, once told me that purchasing in Manhasset is more about the community than the actual property. For this reason she always brings her buyers on a 30 minute tour of Manhasset prior to showing them the first house for sale. Many buyers are anxious to get started and see the houses for sale but they all seem to be very appreciative and happy that they first took the time to go on the tour. I think Marie's style of beginning with a tour is incredibly helpful and I plan to emulate that aspect into my own business.

The word Manhasset is a derivation of an Indian term which translates to "the island neighborhood". Manhasset is a total of 8 ½ square miles broken down as follows:

• Manhasset (unincorporated areas)
  • Strathmore Vanderbilt
  • Strathmore Village
  • South Strathmore
  • North Strathmore
• Munsey Park
• Plandome
• Plandome Heights
• Plandome Manor
• Flower Hill
• North Hills

In my opinion, some of the best reasons to live in Manhasset are because of the fantastic community, beautiful parks, excellent schools, consistent neighborhoods and the 28 minute train commute to Manhattan. There are many custom homes with slate roofs, plaster walls and beautiful woodwork. The real decision is which part of Manhasset is most suitable for you. So let's talk about the various areas.

I have yet to see a map which actually has the various Strathmore's indicated on it. They are usually just grouped as Strathmore but they have very different feels to them.

Strathmore Vanderbilt is located south of Quaker Ridge Rd. and to the west of Chapel Rd. If you live in Strathmore Vanderbilt, you receive deeded shares which allow you to belong to the Strathmore Vanderbilt country club. Houses in Strathmore Village do not receive deeded shares but on average the homes typically seem to be larger. The majority of the homes in the Strathmore Vanderbilt and Strathmore Village attend the Shelter Rock Elementary School.

South Strathmore is the area in front of Strathmore Vanderbilt and Strathmore Village. It runs from Northern Blvd. back to Quaker Ridge Rd. and Hilltop Dr. Homes in South Strathmore are part of the Munsey Park Elementary School.

North Strathmore is the area between Northern Blvd. and Munsey Park. It is behind the new library and runs east. The homes in North Strathmore are typically smaller than the other Strathmore's. There are all types of styles of homes which include many ranches in the area. They are also part of the Munsey Park Elementary School.

Flower Hill is an incorporated village. When driving through its hard not to notice how well manicured the properties are. Most parts of Manhasset Flower Hill attend the Munsey Park Elementary School.

Plandome Manor is another incorporated village. I equate Plandome Manor with water front properties. It is a very beautiful section. Plandome Manor has its own train station and there are some very well known celebrities residing in this section. Some homes in this section are part of the Port Washington schools and others are part of the Manhasset schools. Plandome has a beautiful golf club.

The incorporated Village of Plandome is the oldest part of Manhasset. The incorporated Village of Munsey Park is where I am currently living. You might find me walking by Copley pond on a nice day. Munsey Park is also home to the Miracle Mile of the North Shore of Long Island.

North Hills is another incorporated village that I will discuss in a future blog.

I hope this has been a helpful introduction to Manhasset. For a private tour of Manhasset and some of the properties for sale, please feel free to call Janet or myself. Please also visit us at http://www.coopstocastles.com/