Non-solicitation real estate zone for Country Club

Non-solicitation real estate zone for Country Club
Photo courtesy of NYS Department of State

Households in Country Club and Spencer Estate may soon be able avoid real estate solicitations if they don’t wish to receive them.

The NYS Department of State announced that it is adopting a real estate non-solicitation ‘cease and desist’ zone covering Country Club and much of Spencer Estate after the conclusion of a 45-day public comment period on Saturday, September 9.

The zone, which will allow homeowners to place their names on a real estate ‘do not contact list’, should be in effect around Sunday, October 1, according to the state agency.

Senator Jeff Klein was helping local groups including the Country Club Civic Association, Waterbury-LaSalle Community Association and the Throggs Neck Homeowners Association collect evidence of real estate solicitations and presented them to state.

The agency held hearings in the east Bronx in 2016 on the issue.

A similar zone had previously expired for much of the area, and the new one should last five years, according to sources.

“The reinstatement of the cease and desist zone covering Country Club is a step in the right direction,” stated Klein. “Residents there who have been bombarded by intense real estate solicitations can soon file a notice with the New York Department of State to put an end to these tactics.”

Michael McNerney, CCCA president, said that the organization’s members were diligent in collecting real estate solicitations and that the issue was a concern in their community.

“Country Club’s inclusion in the non-solicitation zone is something we have long sought and expected,” said McNerney,

“I think it is completely unfortunate that Waterbury-LaSalle and Throggs Neck are not included in this,” he said.

McNerney said that if he could offer advice to neighboring communities, he would say that whenever they receive real estate solicitations – whether a glossy post card or one with a cake recipe on it, as some of his members received – to bring them to Klein’s office or to community association meetings.

According to a the state map, when the new zone goes into effect, Bruckner Expressway, Griswold Avenue, Layton Avenue and Eastchester Bay would be its boundaries.

Klein urged residents in Waterbury-LaSalle and Throggs Neck to continue to submit solicitations to his office throughout the public comment period.

Andrew Chirico of WLCA’s board said that the group submitted many examples of real estate mailings.

“We had solicitations from Queens and Long Island asking people to sell their houses,” said Chirico.

He added that many of the solicitors seemed to be developers and he was concerned this type of activity might encourage people who were not interested in selling into being coerced or frightened into doing so.

Robert Barbarelli, TNHOA vice president, said that the group would be open to appealing the decision before the deadline, were following Klein’s lead and would continue submitting materials if members were interested.

For a zone to be established, evidence must be offered of “intense and repeated” solicitation, according to Department of State.

Reach Reporter Patrick Rocchio at (718) 260–4597. E-mail him at procchio@cnglocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @patrickfrocchio.