By Melissa Colabella
During my career as a Westchester Real Estate Agent, I’ve had the pleasure of selling and showing in some very cool communities. Not all communities are geographical. Whatever your interest or price point, we have something for you! Contact me for more information or if you have an interest not shown.
Shore Acres
Sound shore living at a value! Rye Neck offers a beach town vibe with residential prices significantly lower than more well known P.O.’s like Rye, Orienta and Greenwich. This lovely little enclave, with its own school district, straddles the village of Mamaroneck and the southwest section of Rye. For comparison, the nearby Rye Central School District serves more than twice as many students as does the Rye Neck system, though both are quite well-regarded.
Shore Acres is a residential community within Rye Neck comprised of roughly 200 homes located on a peninsula bordered by two salt marshes known as the Guion and Otter Creeks. The Shore Acres community is known for its leafy residential streets that lead down to shared facilities that stand over the entrance to Mamaroneck Harbor. TheShore Acres Point Cluboffers a clubhouse, pool, beach, and boating facility available to SAPC shareholders-members.
Some of the homes for sale will include deeded rights to the club, currently estimated around $30K at the time of this blog post. Annual dues are around $1700. Enjoy instant community! Members can partake in 4th of July celebrations, food truck Sundays, pot luck BBQ’s and more. The boats on our docks and moorings range in size from 13 to 45 feet, consisting of both sailing and motor vessels. There are also docks for dingys and racks that store resident’s colorful collection of kayaks and paddleboards.
I sold this 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom home in 2019 for $1,550,000. In recent years, homes have ranged from $950,000 to $2,130,000.
Campwoods Grounds
Perhaps you love nature but salt water and boating seem foreign to you. Or perhaps it’s simply not in your budget?
Campwoods Grounds in Ossining is a low key, affordable community comprised of cottages that were originally built as part of a Swedish Methodist retreat. The Campgroundwas established back in 1831 when families pitched tents across the property and attended Bible studies, revival sessions, and Sunday services. These historic cottages were winterized after WWII and today they form the Campwoods Grounds community.
There are many different styles of homes in Campwoods,from charming one-bedroom cottages to eclectic bungalow and modern traditional homes.Many of the homeowners are renovating the 18th-century cottagesand some still retain much of the original character. Homeowners are allowed to renovate their interiors but cannot expand beyond the original foundation.
With 45 homes on 7 acres, listings do not come to market often. In recent years, sales of the cottages have ranged from $175,000 – $300,000. The taxes are significantly lower than what they would be outside of the community because it’s essentially a land co-op with a religious tax status. Service is still held at the Swedish Tabernacle on the campgrounds once per year in June to maintain the tax status. During the rest of the year, it’s the location for events like musical performances, lectures, yoga and craft fairs. Cottage owners own their homes but lease the land from the Association which requires special financing.
Usonia
Usonia was Frank Lloyd Wright’s name for “The United States as it ought to be at its democratic zenith.” Usonian homes, in Wright’s vision, were inspirational, affordable homes, for all Americans. Usonia is located in the Pleasantville P.O. and within the Byram Hills school district. Tucked deep into the woods of Pleasantville, this former co-operative community of architecturally significant homeswas conceptualized in the early 20th century.
The layout of the neighborhood was planned in a circular manner, preserving most of the original trees and “encouraging the flow of the land”. The balance of the homes were decreed to be in the modern “organic” style ordained by Wright. The 100-acre enclave was formed to carry out Wright’s Broadacre City – Anti – City concept. Wright plotted out each of where the houses would be built, even designing three of them and approving the plans for 45 others.
The homes now range from $850,000 to $1,310,000 according to recent sales*. For more information, please read the blog post I wrote dedicated to Usonia:
Usonia – A Frank Lloyd Wright Enclave in Pleasantville – Westchester Real Estate (melissacolabellahomes.com)
Equestrian Enthusiasts
Westchester, located only 1 hour from NYC, is home to ample horse farms, barns andstables. The Equestrian Community is not a geographic location but a lifestyle. The sight of a horse or two grazing in a homeowner’s backyard is common in Bedford and Lewisboro. In fact, according to the most recent New York Equine Survey conducted in 2000 by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the county is home to about 3,500 equines.
Westchester offers a prime location for riders and owners in proximity to NYC.Northern Westchester, especially, allows for sprawling acres and verdant landscapes. And, one of Westchester’s claims to equine fame is being home to the illustrious American Gold Cup, a sporting event hosted at Old Salem Farm in North Salem. Originally hosted in Cleveland, the American Gold Cup moved to Westchester in 2012. Athletes, horse owners, and fans alike gather over five days to enjoy the jump-show classic, now in its 49th year.
The Bedford Riding Lanes Association has made preserving trails a priority. The mission of the BRLA is “to preserve and maintain the historic trail system throughout greater Bedford while furthering its equestrian and pastoral traditions for the benefit and enjoyment of our entire community.” Members can ride their horses right out of their stables in their rear yard and onto the trail system, often times cutting through nature preserves and other equestrian properties. Membership is not is isolated to equestrians. Anyone can join and attend events such as trial hikes, running races, yoga, cocktail parties and even a Kentucky Derby Party hosted by Martha Stewart, a famed BRLA member.
Horse properties can be found throughout Westchester. One can find smaller horse properties like our listing at 158 Westwood Drive in Bedford Corners, priced at $3,000,000 as well as larger country estates. Currently the highest priced horse property is priced at $100,000,000. *
*As of 1/1/2022- 4/1/2023