The Company is pursuing various options to maximize the total distributions to our shareholders during the liquidation process. Prior to the Merger, GSD did not have sufficient liquidity to effectively pursue the highest and best use zoning/entitlements of the Cortlandt Manor and Flowerfield properties. Following the rights offering and Merger, the Company believes it possesses sufficient liquidity to maximize the value of Flowerfield and Cortlandt Manor through the pursuit of the highest and best use zoning/entitlements. During the calendar year 2015, the Company incurred approximately $464,000 of land development costs, most of which were incurred during the fourth quarter. The Company estimates that it may incur approximately $3.15 million in additional charges over the next two years to continue enhancement efforts, including the pursuit of entitlements inclusive of zoning changes and special permits.
The Company does not intend to develop the properties but rather to focus resources on positioning the properties to be sold with all entitlements necessary to achieve maximum pre-construction value. During the process of pursuing such entitlements, the Company may entertain offers from potential buyers who may be willing to pay prices for the properties that the Company finds more attractive from a timing or value perspective than completing the entitlement processes. In addition, the Company may entertain joint ventures or other types of relationships for the properties which might provide funds for earlier distributions to shareholders while simultaneously providing enhancements to the underlying values of the properties. While the real estate market is dynamic and the economy is uncertain, the Company believes the return on the estimated investment of $3.15 million will serve to increase the estimated distributions versus selling the properties with their current zoning and entitlements.
Cortlandt Manor Development:
On March 15, 2016, the Town of Cortlandt Manor (the “Town”) adopted its 2016 Sustainable Comprehensive Plan (the “Plan”) of which one key strategy is the simultaneous creation of a Medical Oriented District (“MOD”). The purpose of the MOD is to expand the Town’s existing medical infrastructure and encourage economic development, including capital investment, job creation and housing options. The MOD allows for a continuum of care, i.e., independent living, assisted living and nursing care, within or in neighboring facilities by centralizing medical services and related activities. As a designated zoning district, the MOD could include hospital, ambulatory surgery, primary and urgent care, hospice, laboratories, social services, boutique hotels and a wide range of housing.
The Company’s 33,871 square foot Cortlandt Medical Center and its approximate twelve acres are located directly opposite New York Presbyterian’s Hudson Valley Hospital Center and within the boundaries of the MOD. The Company has committed resources toward both market research and feasibility studies in support of achieving entitlements to maximize the value of the property. For the past several months the Company and its planning consultants have been working closely with the Town to identify issues and solutions involved in creating the Plan and more specifically, the MOD. With the Plan and the MOD now approved, we believe the funds being expended by the Company in this effort will be justified through enhancing the value of this property as we move to its eventual disposition.
Flowerfield Development:
Similar to our efforts in the Town of Cortlandt, we are working closely with engineers and consultants on market research and related feasibility studies to identify how we can maximize Flowerfield’s value through a highest and best use approach. The Company has been in discussions with the Town of Smithtown to seek out potential real estate development projects identified by the market research and feasibility studies which may not currently fall within our “as of right to build” zoning. We are also exploring with the Town of Smithtown whether it would be amenable to certain entitlements, special permits, re-zoning or other concessions that would allow for any such development projects currently not permitted within existing development constraints. Such changes could eventually lead to a number of different development plans ranging from single family or age restricted housing to condominiums or other forms of real estate developments in support of the needs of an expanding Stony Brook University and its affiliated medical school and hospital.
In the region surrounding Flowerfield, Stony Brook University serves as an economic engine through capital investment and growth in employment, including high paying positions in the fields of science and medicine. However, adequate housing, both on and off campus, remains a challenge. While construction is nearing completion on the University’s campus for additional dormitory rooms, our initial research indicates further supply is needed at several levels - undergraduate, graduate, physician, interns, family and visiting professors. In addition, unlike many universities around the country, Stony Brook lacks a campus-focused center around which many university-related social and professional activities are conducted. Other options might be along the lines of a continuum of care or stand-alone assisted living or nursing facilities, which we believe would be in demand given Long Island’s senior community’s increasing needs for such services. Although there can be no assurances, we believe these investments intended to enhance Flowerfield’s value will result in higher sale proceeds, similar to our expenditures intended to enhance Cortlandt Manor’s potential value.
Competition among industrial and medical office rental properties on Long Island, Cortlandt Manor, New York and Fairfax, Virginia is intense. Furthermore, the Company also competes in the development of industrial, medical office and residential property where the competition is equally intense. Numerous commercial property owners compete with the Company in attracting tenants. Many are substantially larger than the Company.
"Someone said it takes 30 years to be an instant success" - Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, CEO of Harwood International
