Hempstead Town Plans To Sell Land Parcel To Long Beach

The Town of Hempstead is planning to sell a stretch of shoreline to the City of Long Beach in an effort to help the city with its shoreline protection plan.

Council members Erin King Sweeney and Anthony D'Esposito announced the planned sale last week, and are going to make a formal request at the Dec. 11 Town Board meeting.

“Superstorm Sandy’s wrath can still be seen throughout the south shore and the Town of Hempstead is committed to every initiative to assist our residents and our neighbors in Long Beach,” D’Esposito said. “The storm severely damaged critical infrastructures which are situated along this property, and the sale of this land will assist the City of Long Beach with their plan to install new steel bulk heading.”

D'Esposito and King Sweeney will call for a public hearing at the Dec. 11 meeting, which would be held on Jan. 8. The Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach mutually agreed on the land appraisal price of $55,250 as the sale price.

The stretch of land, which runs along the north coast of the Barrier Island on Reynolds Channel, near the Long Beach Bridge, contains many crucial pieces of infrastructure, such as a wastewater treatment plant; a water purification plant; natural gas facilities that are owned, maintained and operated by National Grid; an electrical substation that is owned, maintained and operated by PSEG ; a railroad terminal that is owned, maintained and operated by the MTA-Long Island Railroad; and the Long Beach Bridge.

“We are proud to work with the City of Long Beach in a bipartisan effort to assist in their comprehensive shoreline protection plan to protect against future flooding and infrastructure damages,” said King Sweeney. “It’s been six years since Hurricane Sandy devastated Hempstead Town’s south shore and the City of Long Beach, and we are still rebuilding and continuing to find innovative approaches to protect our shoreline.”

The City of Long Beach has applied for a federal grant through FEMA for the installation of bulk-heading below the tideline of Reynolds Channel, running parallel to Riverside Boulevard and Monroe Boulevard in Long Beach.

“Damages to these infrastructures disrupted the lives of all barrier island residents on a profound level, and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to repair,” said D’Esposito. “We want to ensure that when the next storm blows in, we are stronger, rebuilt and better prepared to face the challenges of living in waterfront communities.”

Photo courtesy Town of Hempstead