Swim and Tennis Club Site Sold for $2 Million in Chappaqua
By Tom Auchterlonie
The Twin Oaks Swim and Tennis Club’s property in Chappaqua has a new owner.
The site was sold on Dec. 23 for $2 million to 54 Kids LLC, according to New Castle property records. A transaction involving the deed was recorded by Westchester County on Jan. 29.
The property, located at 348 Whippoorwill Rd., was eyed last July by the New Castle Town Board for acquisition for recreational usage after it was listed for sale, according to local media reports. At the time, the club reportedly owed more than $126,000 in overdue property taxes. Currently, there are no outstanding taxes, according to town records. Payments for late 2011 and 2012 taxes were made in January, records show.
Twin Oaks did not offer swimming last year but its tennis operations were managed by Gotham Tennis Academy, media reports stated. The sale deal with 54 Kids LLC was announced in a November letter to bondholders, according to a news report.
New Castle’s records show that the site is 34.83 acres, has an assessed value of $390,000 and a full market value of $1,855,375. The property falls under the town’s R-2A zone, which allows for single-family housing.
There will be a press release issued from Twin Oaks when a decision is made about the property’s future, New Castle Supervisor Rob Greenstein explained. Greenstein recently spoke with Twin Oaks board members.
Owner Connected to Prominent Attorney
While it is not clear who, in turn, owns the site’s owner, there is evidence that links the company to William Wachtel, a partner with New York City law firm Wachtel Missry LLP. For example, a search for 54 Kids LLC on a state corporations website shows that Wachtel and his firm’s address are listed for its contact information. Additionally, Wachtel’s firm and its address are included as contact information in the county’s transaction records.
Wachtel also has a Chappaqua address, according to records. This is confirmed by campaign donations posted on the Federal Election Commission’s website, although his company is listed in them as “Wachtel & Masyr LLP” and “Wachtel, Masyr & Missry LLP.” Online archives of his firm’s website show that these were its former names. New Castle town records show that he owns property, which is near the Twin Oaks site, that has the same address.
Additionally, Wachtel’s address is given as contact information for a town record of a third property in the area. The address for that parcel, which is also near the swim club’s former site, is listed as the mailing address for 54 Kids LLC.
Wachtel did not respond to requests for comment.
Wachtel’s online biography states that he is a founder of The Drum Major Institute, a think tank, as well as Why Tuesday? which focuses on raising voter turnout.
The institute’s site details the organization’s history, stating that Wachtel’s father, Harry Wachtel, was a lawyer and adviser to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was a founder of the Drum Major Foundation. The foundation became the institute in 1999 when it was “relaunched” by William Wachtel, former Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III, its website stated.
According to the institute’s website, Wachtel is listed as its founder and is on its board, which also includes Young, Martin Luther King III and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
