Agreement reached on Harbor Inn sale

Stephen Romano

The owner of the old Bill’s Harbor Inn building has reached an agreement to sell the property to a group of restaurateurs from Roslyn, according to Susan Andreiev, the property’s real estate agent.

The property at 16 Bowman’s Point Road in Manorhaven has been a topic of discussion in recent months after the village passed a moratorium on waterfront development. Residents were concerned over the future of the property and whether the zoning would be changed and it would be developed into condominiums.

Justin Aronoff, one of the buyers and an owner of Center Cuts in Roslyn, said he and the other buyers plan to put a restaurant on the property.

Aronoff said he could not comment on the details. “We just don’t want to get to ahead of ourselves,” he said.

The owner, Nancy Steinberg, had listed the property  at $400,000, and Andreiev said the sale price was close to that.

Andreiev said the property was originally listed for around $1 million, but the price dropped when there were no offers.

“People wanted to buy the property and develop a residential property, but that can’t happen under village code,” Andreiev said. “When the price was higher, we were getting calls because people thought it was a much bigger property, too.”

Steinberg bought the property in 2004 for $675,000, according to Nassau County land records.

The house has decayed over time and most of the outside is covered with panels of wood.

“There are problems that need to be fixed by the new owners, but it is still a true waterfront property.” Andreiev said. “It’s a great location because you have Manorhaven Beach Park on one side, a lot of possibilities to walk to restaurants, and it has beautiful sunrises and sunsets over Manhasset Bay.”

Chris Bain, president of the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society, said he remembers going to Bill’s Harbor Inn when he was young and that it was his father’s favorite fish restaurant.

“It probably only had about 10 to 15 tables, but the scallops were fabulous,” Bain said. “It was right by the water and had a nice home feel to it, and the owner was always there.”

Marla Freeman, a vice president at the historical society, described Bill’s as an “old-fashioned type of restaurant” that people loved because it was “homey.”

“It was a down-to-earth type of place where you went with your parents,” Freeman said. “It’s right on the water and it should be picturesque if the new owners do something with it.”

Mayor Jim Avena said he met with the owners and  they want to work with the village and will try to build something similar to Bill’s Harbor Inn.

Avena said the new owners will have to tear down and rebuild the building for safety reasons.

Because the property is on the waterfront, it currently cannot be developed because of the waterfront moratorium passed in July.

Although the moratorium expired on Dec. 22, an extension is expected to be passed at the village’s board meeting on Jan. 26.

The property was also issued five code violations that are on the village court calendar for Jan. 24.

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