v3.25.2
Note 1 - The Company
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2025
Notes to Financial Statements  
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

1.

The Company

Strategic Overview

 

Gyrodyne, LLC’s (including its subsidiaries, “Gyrodyne”, the “Company” or the “Registrant”) corporate strategy is to pursue entitlements on our two remaining properties, so that they can be sold to one or more developers with increased development flexibility at higher prices, thereby maximizing value and distributions. Gyrodyne intends to dissolve after we complete the disposition of our assets, apply the proceeds to settle debts and claims, and then pay liquidating distributions to our shareholders.

 

Gyrodyne filed subdivision applications in March 2017 with respect to Cortlandt Manor and Flowerfield. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant delays in the regulatory approval process, as state, county and local staff charged with processing our subdivision applications all postponed activity due to work-from-home transitions.

 

Flowerfield

 

On March 30, 2022, the Town of Smithtown Planning Board (the “Planning Board”) voted four to zero with one abstention to grant Gyrodyne’s application for preliminary approval to divide the Flowerfield property into eight lots, subject to certain conditions (the “Flowerfield Subdivision Application”).

 

On April 26, 2022, the Incorporated Village of Head of the Harbor and certain other parties (collectively, the “Petitioners”), commenced a special proceeding under Article 78 of New York’s Civil Practice Law & Rules (the “Article 78 Proceeding”) against the Town of Smithtown and certain other parties, including Gyrodyne, seeking to annul the Planning Board’s determinations relating to the Flowerfield Subdivision Application. Specifically, the petition commencing the Article 78 Proceeding (the “Petition”) seeks to annul the Planning Board’s (i) approval of a findings statement pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”), dated September 16, 2021, and adopted by the Planning Board on March 30, 2022 (the “Findings Statement”), concerning the Flowerfield Subdivision Application, and (ii) preliminary approval on March 30, 2022 of the Flowerfield Subdivision Application. The arguments made in the Petition are substantially similar to those made by opponents of the Flowerfield Subdivision Application during the SEQRA and subdivision process. Gyrodyne and the Town of Smithtown are vigorously defending the Planning Board’s determinations against the Petition. In June 2022, Gyrodyne and the Town of Smithtown filed motions to dismiss the Petition (the “Motions”). On February 6, 2024, the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Suffolk County issued an order (the “Order”), denying the Motions in part and granting them in part. Specifically, the Order (i) denied the Motions as to three individual Petitioners and the St. James-Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Preservation Coalition, Inc., (ii) granted the Motions as to the remaining twenty (20) individual Petitioners and the Village of Head of the Harbor, (iii) denied the branch of Gyrodyne’s motion alleging that Petitioners failed to state a claim. On October 11, 2024, the Supreme Court of the State of New York issued a ruling in favor of the Company dismissing the Petition in its entirety. On October 28, 2024, the Company received a notice of appeal filed by the petitioners in this proceeding seeking to appeal the court’s dismissal of the Article 78 petition, citing as grounds for appeal “whether the court erred in denying the petition and dismissed the Article 78 proceeding, and any and all other issues which may arise upon further review of the record on appeal”.

 

On November 12, 2024, the petitioners filed a notice of motion to renew and reargue, seeking to have the court direct the respondents to undertake a supplemental environmental impact statement to address retaining of storm water at the property being developed in light of a recent storm, and to annul the resolution approving the preliminary site plan.

 

On March 17, 2025, the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Suffolk County issued an order denying the appellants motion to stay enforcement of the order, pending hearing and determination of appeal. On March 21, 2025, the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Suffolk County issued an order denying the Petitioners motion to renew and reargue. On April 16, 2025 the Petitioners filed a notice of appeal seeking to appeal the March 17, 2025 order denying the appellants motion to stay enforcement of the order dismissing the Petition pending the appeal.

 

On April 28, 2025 the Petitioners perfected their appeal on the original Petition. The Petitioners’ memorandum of law largely repeats their earlier position and arguments, which the Supreme Court previously found to be an insufficient basis for overturning the Planning Board’s determinations. Gyrodyne filed its response to the Appeal on July 25th, and the Town submitted its reply to the Appeal on July 28th.  

 

 

Pleadings filed in the Article 78 Proceeding may be accessed through a link (and related instructions) to the New York State Unified Court System which appears on the Company’s website at https://www.gyrodyne.com.

 

Gyrodyne remains confident in its defense of the appeal, the motion to renew and reargue and the motion to appeal the denial of the Petitioners’ motion to stay enforcement of the order. Gyrodyne believes that both the Article 78 Proceeding and the process of negotiating purchase agreements, securing final subdivision approval and final unappealable site plan approval and consummating the sale of our properties could extend into 2027, although there can be no assurance that Gyrodyne and the Town of Smithtown will be successful in the defense of the appeals and any other motions or that other factors beyond our control will not necessitate a further extension of the timeline.

 

The estimated timeline assumes that Flowerfield is not sold until the culmination of the Article 78 Proceeding. Although Gyrodyne believes that selling individual lots will maximize value, it is also pursuing prospective purchasers who may be willing to purchase all of Flowerfield as an undivided parcel on terms that Gyrodyne finds more attractive from a timing and value perspective. The developed portion of Flowerfield, situated on two separate lots, may be sold together or separately upon the resolution of the Article 78 Proceeding and the filing of the final subdivision map without site plan approval.

 

Cortlandt Manor

 

On March 20, 2023, the Town of Cortlandt Town Board adopted the SEQRA findings statement and approved local law establishing the Medical Oriented Zoning District (the “MOD”) which includes Gyrodyne’s Cortlandt Manor property (the “CM Findings Statement”). Pursuant to the adopted MOD, Gyrodyne received designation for total density of 154,000 square feet to be comprised of 150,000 square feet of medical use and 4,000 square feet of retail use.

 

Timeline and Marketing Campaign

 

Various other factors will continue to impact the timeline to achieve approvals, including the backlog of land use applications, zoning authority labor shortages and environmental concerns. Nevertheless, we will continue to market the properties and, although there can be no assurances, the Company believes subdivision approval will be received in the fourth quarter of 2025 for Flowerfield, and in late 2026 for Cortlandt Manor.

 

On July 30, 2025, GSD Flowerfield LLC, a New York limited liability company (“GSD”) wholly-owned by the Company, entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “B2K Agreement”) for the sale of an approximately 49 acre parcel of vacant land to B2K Smithtown LLC (“B2K”), an affiliate of B2K Development LLC, which property forms a portion of the Company’s Flowerfield complex in St. James, New York, for a purchase price of between $24,000,000 and $28,740,000, subject to conditions and contingencies set forth in the Agreement and described herein.  The B2K Agreement is subject to various conditions, include receipt of subdivision and site plan approval. See, Note 16, Subsequent Event. Based on the terms of the contract and the Findings Statement, we estimate (contingent on a pending site plan submission, which we believe will be approved by the Town of Smithtown Planning Department) the value of the B2K contract is $28,740,000.

 

We anticipate that future purchase agreements for Flowerfield or Cortlandt or any portions thereof will similarly identify receipt of subdivision and site plan approval as conditions to closing which the Company believes can be pursued simultaneously rather than sequentially.

 

Although Gyrodyne believes that selling individual lots will maximize value, it is also pursuing prospective purchasers who may be willing to pay purchase prices for the remaining undivided Flowerfield or Cortlandt Manor property, or for the entire company itself, that Gyrodyne finds more attractive from a timing and value perspective.

 

On January 5, 2024, Gyrodyne retained JLL Capital Markets (“JLL”) to market the Company’s Flowerfield and Cortlandt Manor properties. JLL has been conducting a national marketing campaign on the Company’s behalf with the goal of identifying viable prospective buyers for our remaining properties and generating maximum net asset value for Gyrodyne’s shareholders.

 

Business

 

Gyrodyne is a limited liability company formed under the laws of the State of New York whose primary business is the management of, and the pursuit of entitlements on, a portfolio of medical office and industrial properties located in Suffolk (“Flowerfield”) and Westchester Counties (“Cortlandt Manor”), New York State.

 

Substantially all of our developed properties are subject to leases in which the tenant reimburses the Company for a portion, all of or substantially all of the costs and/or cost increases for utilities, insurance, repairs, maintenance and real estate taxes. Certain leases provide that the Company is responsible for certain operating expenses.

 

 

Our efforts to generate the highest values for Flowerfield and Cortlandt Manor may involve in limited circumstances other strategies to manage risk and or enhance the net value of Flowerfield and Cortlandt Manor to maximize the returns for our shareholders. Gyrodyne intends to dissolve after we complete the disposition of all of our real property assets, apply the proceeds of such dispositions first to settle any debts and claims, pending or otherwise, against Gyrodyne, and then pay distributions to holders of Gyrodyne common shares. The process of seeking entitlements and the amount and timing of distributions from proceeds of asset sales involve risks and uncertainties. As such, it is impossible at this time to determine with certainty the ultimate amount of proceeds that will actually be distributed to our shareholders or the timing of such payments. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the distributions will equal or exceed the estimate of net assets presented in our consolidated statements of net assets. The actual nature, amount and timing of all distributions will be determined by Gyrodyne’s Board in its sole discretion and will depend in part upon the Company’s ability to convert our remaining assets into cash in compliance with our obligations under the Stipulation entered into in connection with a class action lawsuit settled in 2015 (See Note 12 – Contingencies) and satisfy our remaining liabilities and obligations. Under Gyrodyne’s Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “LLC Agreement”), such dissolution may be effected upon an election to dissolve the Company by the Board that is approved by the vote of holders of a majority of Gyrodyne common shares or, in the Board’s sole discretion and without any separate approval by the holders of Gyrodyne common shares, at any time the value of Gyrodyne’s assets, as determined by the Board in good faith, is less than $1,000,000.

 

The Company’s two remaining real estate properties, each of which is held in a single asset limited liability company wholly owned by the Company, consist of:

 

Cortlandt Manor:13.8 acres in Cortlandt Manor, New York, consisting of the 31,000 square foot Cortlandt Manor Medical Center; and

 

Flowerfield: 63 acres in St. James, New York, including a 14-acre multi-tenanted industrial park comprising 135,000 rentable square feet.