Second home market soars in Sullivan County.

A renaissance of sorts is happening in New York's Sullivan County -- a major new arts center is about to break ground on what was the site of the original Woodstock Festival, a steady influx of new businesses are relocating into the county and there's a new recognition of the area's great beauty and natural resources. As a result, the new luxury second-home market is booming.

"We're experiencing an entirely new clientele here," says Michael J. Sullivan, president of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, located in Monticello.

"We're seeing high-end, high-quality homes being built attracting buyers from New York City, New Jersey and Westchester. These buyers have decided to look around for something more avant garde than the usual choices of the Hamptons, the Berkshires or Columbia County for their second homes and are considering Sullivan County."

This affluent second-home market has seen average prices increasing by as much as 50% over the past five years according to Linda McKean, one of the area's top residential brokers at McKean Realty of White Lake, NY. Sullivan County's Times Herald-Record reports that the median home prices for all residences has risen 19% in the past year; a staggeringly high number for a county that has had its share of economic depression.

Much of the increase is due to The Chapin Estate, the largest luxury second home development in the history of Sullivan County. Built by The Woodstone Companies on a 5,600-acre wildlife preserve that was once owned by industrialist Chester Chapin, Jr., prices at The Chapin Estate range from $90,000 to $500,000 for the 5-acre and up homesites (waterfront is the more expensive). Houses cost from approximately $267,000 to $1.2 million, depending upon the amount of custom design and hand crafted finishes required.

Sales of homes and homesites at The Chapin Estate homes in 2002 have been astounding. "We've sold almost all of our 35 lakefront properties on the Toronto Reservoir," says Howard Schoor, one of the developers. "We're stepping up development of Top Ridge, a parcel of land on the sunset-view side of Toronto behind the gatehouse. In general, we are moving much more quickly than we had anticipated."

"Demand has been so strong that we have decided to open the other side of the property as well. On Swinging Bridge Reservoir, an active family recreation lake, there are thirty spectacular acre lakefront homesites and eighteen 5 to 8 acre private wooded retreat properties. We can't even show the properties yet and have a waiting list," says Steve Dubrovsky, another of The Chapin Estate's developers.

The 5000 acres at The Chapin Estate will be gated at all accesses, a concept unique for this marketplace and guaranteed to the bring a sense of well-being to each homeowner. A mesmerizing drive to the rustic Adirondack gatehouse is part of the delight of coming home to The Chapin Estate; winding wooded roads with peeks of wildlife and water transport residents to a life far away from the city or suburbs.

Once the gatehouse is reached, people will be enchanted by a waterfall cascading alongside the rear of the stone and hewed timber building. At Swinging Bridge, a private lake club with tennis and a pool is planned, a setting that will attract both the young families with children and the pre-retirees who have been purchasing properties in the area to settle into over the coming years.

Only 5 miles away from The Chapin Estate in Bethel, NY is the site of the former Woodstock Festival, which is the future home to a new arts center, another Renaissance element to the re-birth of Sullivan County. Ground will be broken this spring and, according to Mike Sullivan, "the center is scheduled to open in June 2004 and there's discussion that it will be the summer home of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra." The center is expected to draw new interesting visitors, residents and businesses to the area, making Bethel the new "in spot."

Other "in spots" are the nearby charming towns of Jeffersonville and Wurtsboro, where cafes and new businesses are opening and thriving in a swift change from what had been an economically depressed region. "We've had dozens of small businesses opening in our towns over the past few months," says Mike Sullivan. "Last month, there were four ribbon cuttings in just one town and both Monticello and Liberty are experiencing revivals."

Adding to the draw of Sullivan County for the second homeowner is the county's natural beauty and resources. Great chefs from New York City count on Sullivan County farmers for foie gras, cheese, poultry, vegetables, mushrooms and some of the finest trout in the world. "Cornell University opened a cooperative extension here because of the wealth of agriculture here," says Sullivan. "This is also one of the most rural counties in the Northeast," he adds, "with a feel of being in Montana. On any given summer weekend, people are canoeing on the Delaware River or looking for the bald eagles living in our area."

Carole and Allan Abramson, a couple who moved into their second home at The Chapin Estate last April, often spot bald eagles -- as well as wild turkeys, porcupines and deer -- when they garden or hike on their property. Allan Abramson is an ear, nose and throat specialist at Long Island Jewish Hospital and Carole Abramson is a business and personal coach. Both love the lifestyle of The Chapin Estate. "We swim, we canoe and when our kids visit, they fish," she says. On summer weekends, they frequent the local Bradstan Inn, where famed cabaret stars from Broadway perform on Sunday nights. "We're really away here," Carole says. Mike Sullivan, a former New York City resident himself, concurs. "For fun," he relays, my wife and I sometimes go exploring...looking for covered bridges in Sullivan County. Some of the bridges we find aren't even on roads. We're in the wilderness and can't quite believe that we're only two hours away from Manhattan!"