Old Campground Property On Shelter Island Will Be Site Of Five Homes

The newly developed Pandion property on Shelter Island is “so not the Hamptons,” according to associate real estate broker Cee Scott Brown, a member of the Cee Brown & Jack Pearson Team at Corcoran, the development’s agents.The 24.8-acre waterfront property that was previously home to St. Gabriel’s Youth Retreat is being transformed into a residential development with five homes—though it could technically fit 21 homes.

“The Hamptons would be 21 homes, 21 septic tanks, 21 pools,” Mr. Brown said.

On Tuesday, July 23, real estate agents traveled by boat from Sag Harbor to the Pandion property, which overlooks Coecles Harbor, to learn about the plans and ask questions over hors d’oeuvres and wine.

The owner of the property, Rich Hogan, a businessman and former floor trader at the New York Stock Exchange and American Stock Exchange, stood in front of the agents gathered at the property’s boathouse and affirmed that the decision to build fewer homes than what is allowable is in an effort to have the least impact on the environment and the community.

“The whole idea is, people who buy into this idea, this notion, are people who are willing to perhaps spend a little bit more money on a large-sized parcel so that they could be part of a vision, this community, where there is minimal impact,” Mr. Hogan said.

The property is split into five lots, three of which are for sale, including one that is a two-part compound. The other two lots are being held for Mr. Hogan’s family and a friend. The home size on each lot is limited to 3,000 square feet of livable space per acre. The largest parcel, which is sold as a compound, allows for a house or two totaling up to 18,000 square feet. That lot size is 6 acres. The prices of the lots range from $2.5 million to $8.75 million.

Additionally, there are two parcels for a homeowners association, with amenities such as tennis courts, a boat storage barn and a boat house located right in front of a 185-foot dock, acting as an entry point into Pandion. Two other lots, including the compound, are permitted to have additional docks built on the properties, though Mr. Hogan hopes the future residents would share a dock.

“So the idea was that if we had shared amenities, then maybe people would build less,” Mr. Hogan said. “Does everyone really need a tennis court? For those who have them, you know how much you use it. If we have a shared tennis court or two, then it’s less building, less impact.”

Mr. Hogan said that his approach to developing the property has helped transform public opinion with Shelter Island residents, adding that he showed them that he and his team are “doing something special here.”

“The islanders have particularly had some thoughts on it,” he said. “Everybody comes up to me and says, ‘I went to church in that chapel [at that camp],’ ‘I attended that camp.’ There’s a lot of emotion about it.”

Along with building less to have a minimal impact, Mr. Hogan set design guidelines to “make sure there is a sense of harmony,” and to ensure the design is “consistent with the surroundings.”

The guidelines include building the septic tanks behind the homes instead of near the waterfront, and restricting the use of chemicals and building materials, among other regulations.

Another guideline discourages planting privet along property lines. According to Mr. Hogan, privet would obstruct the “panoramic view” of Coecles Harbor, and because it needs a lot of maintenance it would contribute to noise pollution.

Instead, Mr. Hogan suggests the use of bayberry, spirea, lilacs or hibiscus.

Property development is certainly a new chapter in Mr. Hogan’s career.

“This is just something that’s completely new for me,” Mr. Hogan said. “I do have a background in land conservation.”

He said that he’s donated a conservation easement on 290 acres of farmland in Washington County to the Agricultural Stewardship Association, and he has given 2.75 acres of a waterfront parcel on Shelter Island to the Peconic Land Trust.

“I first came upon land conservation from an estate planning perspective,” Mr. Hogan said via email. “I was trying to solve the question of how to pass a legacy family home down through generations while minimizing death taxes. As I learned more about the techniques, I became interested in preserving farmland, view sheds and the rural character of the east end and certain areas of upstate New York.”

Mr. Hogan, who has spent most of his summers on Shelter Island and has been living there since 2008, was inspired to develop the Pandion property when he saw it during his nights spent on his sailboat anchored in Coecles Harbor.

After purchasing the property in 2015, Mr. Hogan began calling Mr. Brown and Mr. Pearson for advice. He knew them because they sold him his home.

“For someone to buy this piece of property and then develop it to this point, and then regulate it in a way that is going to make sure that whoever is involved in this is of the same mindset, is really interesting,” Mr. Brown said. “Because it’s not everybody. These are not going to be the easiest lots to sell because a lot of people don’t care. They just want their 25,000-square foot-home. That’s not what this is.”