Kleiner’s Korner: Nassau County Surveys of Motor Parkway Property Transferred or Released (Mineola)
Nassau County land transactions near the Motor Parkway in Mineola.
Transactions were for the purpose of residential development and water and sewer projects. Surveys courtesy of the Nassau County Dept. of Public Works.
Art Kleiner
Toll Gate Village
Mineola approved the building of a residential community, appropriately named Toll Gate Village in 1950 next to the Motor Parkway ROW. To provide access from Jericho Turnpike, the village purchased Motor Parkway property from Nassau County. (Nassau Daily Review-Star Jan. 20, 1950)
Easements for "Sanitary Sewer Purposes" were granted to Mineola by Nassau County in 1952.
The easement extended between Raff Avenue and Westbury Avenue along former Motor Parkway property, now owned by Nassau County.
An early aerial of the location taken in 1926. (Nassau County Tax Assessor website)
A 1950 aerial. (Nassau County Tax Assessor website)
More recently.
Drainage Problems in the Area
To remedy drainage problems in the area, a project was undertaken in 2012 involving Mineola, Carle Place and the Town of North Hempstead. Disagreements arose over a survey that Mineola said the town should have conducted to delineate where the town would do its remediation work.
This might be the survey that was eventually prepared detailing the area including Toll Gate Village, the boundaries and remains of the Motor Parkway and where the Westbury Avenue bridge once stood (noting the bridge was taken down over 30 years earlies). The project eventually proceeded including a 20,000 sq. ft. storm basin on the Motor Parkway ROW.
Encroachment on the Motor Parkway
As a result of the survey work, the village of Mineola found that several homeowners in Toll Gate Village had expanded their property onto village held property where the Motor Parkway once was and which would be impacted by the drainage project.
The village sent letters to each impacted homeowner (some having lived there for 35 years) with two options: give back the property or purchase it for $10/sq. ft. The average encroachment (1,750 sq. ft.) would cost the homeowner $17,500. Negotiations were held with the homeowners with a local real estate attorney commenting that the homeowners should probably give the land back. How many did is unkown by me at this time. Possibly all?
"Newsday" article of May 20, 2013 describing the encroachment situation.
Additional Land Transactions
Mineola requested public comment in 2014 on its application to divide municipal property in the area. Might this be the property the homeowners gave back? The area is listed on tax maps as "Recharge Basins & Drainage Conduits - Municipally Owned" (Section 9, Block 557, Lot 20).
A lot containing the Motor Parkway ROW was approved for release by Nassau County to Mineola in 1952 and is the site of a "pump station".
The lot bordered Raff Avenue and the Motor Parkway next to Toll Gate Village and is also shown on the survey mentioned and shown above.
A recent aerial of the site.
Comments
I remember noticing the slope along the west side of the LIMP extending into the backyards of Bell Terrace, the rise towards the former Westbury Ave bridge. Figured this section was offered to the homes initially, like in Garden City & Williston Park. Encroaching is significant north of the sump, maybe those homes weren’t approached by the town? Hopefully, the square foot cost was negotiated lower. Now I know why the east side of the ROW always looked eroded, became a washout plain.