Description
surprise in 1958. In those days there was no open meetings law. Eminent Domain allowed New York State to relocate a whole street of houses in Plainview that sat on the right of way for the Seaford-Oyster Bay expressway.
The homes were raised off their foundations and moved to open lots on Gerhard road or to the second Margaret Drive. Some residents took the market value payment and relocated. The heavy equipment arrived and dug out the roadway , which was originally the same height as Gerhard road.
The residents of the North Shore fought to cease the construction of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway through their neighborhoods and thus the construction of the Rye Bridge connection was never completed. The highway ended at Jericho Tpke in Syosset even though the land for the right of way extension to 25A is there.
Nowadays, you are entitled to public notice and when zoning changes are proposed. In the early 1970's Mario Cuomo appointed a young lawyer to lead a new department that supervised an era of change. That dept. is the Open Meetings department, based in Albany and they guide all government agencies through the public process of presenting information. This includes school boards.
(Former resident)
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