Channel Club apartment complex in Island Park scheduled for July opening

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Barnum Island will soon see an influx of new residents, as two four-story waterfront apartment towers are set to open this summer, ushering in what developers and members of the business community have called the revitalization of Island Park.
Dylan Vitale, a manager at the Island Park-based Vitale Waterview Land Development, said he hoped residents would move into Tower 1 in July and would occupy Tower 2 by Labor Day. Dylan and his father, John Vitale, the managing member of the development company, own the Bridgeview Yacht Club and the Loft by Bridgeview, and built the King Kullen shopping center in Island Park in 2008. They are also partners in Jordan’s Lobster Farm.
The complex, called the Channel Club, replaces the Vitales’ former restaurant-bars, Paddy McGee’s and Coyote Grill, on property they have owned for more than 30 years on Waterview Road and Pettit Place in Island Park.
“This project helps complete the revitalization of the area,” Dylan said. “We’re excited to have people live on the water.”
He noted that the site’s proximity to the beach and the Long Island Rail Road makes it an ideal spot for young business professionals or empty nesters looking to downsize. He added that he didn’t expect many families to move in, so the impact on the school district should be minimal.

The towers each have 43 units, and there are 153 parking spaces between them on the ground floor of each structure. There are 54 two-bedroom and 32 one-bedroom apartments in all. Amenities include balconies, washing machines and dryers, and stainless steel appliances in each unit. There is also a fitness center in the first tower, a community room with a pool table and lounge area in the second tower, and a pool deck area on the second floor that connects the buildings. The development also offers boat slips for residents, who will be able to keep everything from boats to personal watercraft to kayaks on the property. Vitale said that the community room would be used for special events, such as movie nights, and could be rented by residents for parties.
Rents for the apartments will fluctuate, depending on whether they are waterside or street-side, Vitale said, but the average one-bedroom apartment will rent for $2,700 per month, while two-bedrooms will generally rent for $3,300.
The prospect of new residents coming to Island Park has many members of the business district excited.
“It’s awesome. We need a shot in the arm so badly,” Chamber of Commerce President Barbra Rubin-Perry said. “You get one shot at a first impression. I want the businesses in Island Park to make the best first impression that they can.”
Rubin-Perry said that the chamber has prepared a welcome package for tenants to inform them about area businesses in the hope that they will support them.
Town and county officials have also lauded the development for its potential boon to the local business district.
“The Channel Club will revitalize the Island Park/Barnum Island waterfront with a use that is harmonious with the surrounding community,” said Christine Geed, a spokeswoman for County Executive Laura Curran. “We’re always happy to see housing developments in close proximity to mass transit — as we’re seeing throughout Nassau County communities.”
The project has been in the works since 2014, and was approved by the Town of Hempstead in July 2015. The complex was completed in two phases, as Tower 1 was built first, followed by the second structure. Vitale said that workers were putting the finishing touches on Tower 1 for residents to move in next month, and added that half of the units there had been rented. The work on Tower 2 is underway, he said, and developers recently began taking applications from potential renters.
Because Sandy damaged their former property, the Vitales wanted to make the towers storm-resilient. They built a new, raised bulkhead to reinforce the property, and installed all mechanical units on the roof. In addition, they added a generator and underground drainage to handle severe storms.
Vitale said he was looking forward to the opening of Tower 1 — and to the positive impact he expects the complex to have on the community. “The residents moving in and shopping locally, we foresee it being a benefit to all the local businesses,” he said. “It’s a great piece of property, and it’s a great spot for renters being on the water, having a boat in their backyard, great water views, proximity to the train and being near the beach. I’m excited.”
For more information, or to check rental prices, visit bit.ly/2WC3XjV.