Kleiner’s Korner: Nassau County Surveys of Motor Parkway Property Transferred or Disposed Of (Levittown)
Following its closing in 1938, former property of the Long Island Motor Parkway was acquired and/or released by Nassau County. Surveys provided by the Nassau County Dept. of Public Works provide documentation of these land transfers.
Following up on Greg O's Garage post of March 5, surveys in this post relate to several sections of former Motor Parkway property in Levittown. Previous posts have provided detailed information of the history of these sections if you would like more information.
1950: For HIghways
This section of the Motor Parkway ran along Salisbury Park Drive, between the Wantagh State Parkway and Newbridge Road.
Nassau County purchased this section in 1950 from the Long Island Lighting Company which has a substation alongside and which most probably was the original owner following the Parkway's dissolution.
1955: For Schools
During the post war population boom on Long Island, Town of Hempstead School District 5 which encompassed the Levittown area deemed the need for additional schools.
Two parcels of Motor Parwkay property that Nassau County owned were released to the school district in order for two schools to be built. These were parcels just north of Orchard Lane between Newbridge Road on the west and Jerusalem Avenue on the east. Eventually the parcels between these two would also be released and sold to developers.
Pintail Elementary School
The school on parcel #2 was appropriately named Pintail Elementary School. (note the opening photo in this link is incorrect) Later in the 1980s as the population decreased, the school was razed, however the section still is vacant.
How Pintail Elementary School once looked.
And after its demolition
And today.
Laurel Lane Elementary School
Parcel #1 is the furthest east section and borders Laurel Lane. The Laurel Lane school was built in 1956 and closed in 1978 as it was considered too small with only 13 classrooms. It did continue as the home of various educational oriented tenants, eventually becoming the home of the Elijah Center, a school for autistic children.
The school today.
1982: For Housing
Developers were able to acquire two parcels of Motor Parkway ROW in the early 1980s setting off numerous rezoning and development applications which were originally rejected by the Town of Hempstead.
Note the term "Reported Owner" - I would think the county would know they own it!
After more than two decades of proposals the town finally agreed for single family homes to be built on property off of Orchard Lane and Heron and Crocus Lanes. I find the surveys interesting as to the detail shown such as hedges, swimming pools, fences, etc.
Heron Lane
Heron Lane before development.
Heron Lane "Estates" under development. I hope to have a "finished" photograph after my next trip up north in a few weeks.
Crocus Lane
Crocus Lane before development.
And after development.
Additional surveys of similar transactions involving Motor Parkway property in Garden City, Bethpage and other Nassau County locations will be provided in upcoming Kleiner's Korner posts.
Comments
Great addition Art. I had forgotten there was a bit more of the ROW sold than I originally thought.
Awesome job Art. Interesting how parts of this ROW in Levittown were left open, utilized for schools, auctioned, fought over and eventually developed while the ROW from Bloomingdale rd to Wantagh ave was just directly built over by Levitt’s houses with no problem and no trace of the ROW left at all.
Here is what Heron estates looks like today:
Playing around the Nassau County LRV, and was a little surprised that the section of Salisbury Park Dr between Westbury Rd & Newbridge Ave is titled MOTOR PKWY. SBL 45 H 42.Realize this section was acquired by LILCO, then Nassau County purchased it for the roadway. Nice to know that the LIMP isn’t forgotten : )