$56M Island Park apartment plan getting IDA assist

A $56 million project to transform a catering complex into a waterfront apartment development was granted preliminary approval for economic incentives from the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency. 

The plan by developer John Vitale would replace his Bridgeview Yacht Club and Loft catering hall at 50 and 80 Waterfront Blvd. with a 117-unit, market-rate apartment complex, according to an IDA statement. 

The proposed development is a four-story, 135,406-square-foot building with 74 one-bedroom units and 43 two-bedroom units built atop a parking garage. 

Vitale has developed apartments in Island Park before. He owns 10 acres on the southern tip of Island Park, where he once operated several restaurants, including Paddy McGee’s and Coyote Grill, which were decimated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. After razing the restaurants, Vitale built an apartment complex called the Channel Club, a two-tower, 86-unit project that opened in 2019 and was constructed with IDA assistance.  

Vitale also owns the Barnum Landing shopping center, which is anchored by King Kullen, and is co-owner of the Jordan Lobster Farms restaurant, according to the statement. 

The developer said he doesn’t plan to start the new apartment project until obligations to his catering customers are fulfilled. Any benefits package would be subject to further IDA review, a public hearing and a final authorizing resolution. 

“This project will add to the town’s growing stock of much-needed rental housing,” Fred Parola, Hempstead IDA CEO, said in the statement. “Moreover, the project will generate property tax increases that will significantly raise revenues for school districts and local governments.” 

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