Creating Value from the Ground Up

925 Route 109, West Babylon NY

The Assignment

Mike Spoonley owned a 0.88-acre parcel at 925 Route 109 in West Babylon had a lot going for it—good location, a ton of traffic, and a lot of frontage on a high-profile corridor.

However, after years on the market and getting no traction, it had become stale. The property's triangular shape made site planning difficult, and previous pricing advice was optimistic to say the least. More importantly, it wasn’t based on anything. It was just a number.

Working Toghether

As someone who has acquired and developed properties, I know that without vision and a plan, dirt is just dirt. Our first step was bringing together our development experience and professional resources to the table – including legal, planning and architectural — experts at challenging development sites. With Mike on board, we created multiple design options to demonstrate the opportunity to a broad range of users, enabling us to cast as wide for a buyer.

Throughout the process, Mike trusted our recommendations and stayed involved—a proactive partner in getting his property sold—not hesitating to procure plans, drawings, surveys; even a “preemptive remediation” when an issue was discovered.

Crossing the Finish Line

After more than a year of relentless marketing, we secured a contract with AutoZone, who undertook the entitlement and approval process. AutoZone was ably represented by Ryan Feldman of ARD Realty, with all sides engaging in tough but constructive negotiations. The result? A site that is now poised for a new retail use that reflects its highest potential; one that is a win for the community, the buyer, and especially for Mike.

Epilogue

What makes this story meaningful, however, has little to do with plans, zoning, or negotiations. You see, Mike and his wife, Patricia, lived in a small house on the corner of the property—built by Mike’s dad some 60 years earlier. Mike had a promise to keep to his dad: no one but family would ever live there.

But sixty years ago, the street behind the house saw a few hundred cars a day; today, it’s more than 35,000. Great for AutoZone—not so great for the Spoonleys. It was time to move on to the quieter place they’d found, where they could peacefully live out the rest of their years...

Some months after the deal closed, Mike called me on Thanksgiving Day. “I just wanted to tell you,” he said, “that I’m thankful for you.” That may have been the most gratifying call I’ve received in my career.

Patricia called me the following Summer—this time with difficult news: Just three months earlier, having just turned 60, Mike was on a jobsite and passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. It was a painful reminder to appreciate every moment because you never know what tomorrow will bring. But Mike had kept his promise—to his father and to his wife—and prepared the ground for the road ahead.

Helping people like Mike and Patricia secure their own Realty Wealth is why I do what I do. It doesn’t get more real than that.