Sunday, November 14, 2010

Is eminent domain coming to Centreville?


From the Queens Chronicle:

Some residents of the Centreville section of Ozone Park are feeling a bit uneasy about a letter sent out last week by the city Department of Design and Construction regarding the long-proposed HWQ411B sewer project.

The DDC sent out letters this week to many residences near the proposed project area, stating that the city might need to use eminent domain to acquire some property in order to complete the work.

The letter does not state how much property the city would need to seize, or even if it will definitely need to enter eminent domain proceedings, only that it is a possibility.

However, the warning has gotten many of those who received the letter worried enough that the Ozone Park Civic Association has arranged for a representative from the DDC to speak at its next meeting on Tuesday to provide more details.

An inquiry to the DDC about the letter was not returned as of press time.

The HWQ411B project has long been a point of consternation in the neighborhood.

Originally proposed 30 years ago, the plan calls for the replacement of several water mains and sanitary sewers in the area, along with the additions of new storm drains, which would help alleviate the community’s long-time flooding problem.

The DDC has said that the project is funded for Fiscal Year 2011, and that the project could begin as soon as early next year, though no definitive timeline has been given.

However, many in the area are skeptical the project will ever take place, as countless public hearings and meetings have been held on its status in the interceding years since it was first proposed.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eminent Domain should be outlawed.

Anonymous said...

Eminent Domain was brought to the fore by a Republican conspiracy led by Bush and Cheney to change the balance of power in the Supreme Court to give power to the U.S. Banks. You foreclose or you have your house taken away, same thing. You lose, the overdeveloper billionaire wins by tax shelters and the bank sits back and laughs as the overdeveloper goes bankrupt and the bank takes the property.

The New American Republic.

Anonymous said...

I live in Centerville area fo 51 years, our block does not have a sewer, nor do we want one. This will become very costly, no one realizes that the fair market value at their appraisers value,will add up to almost nothing compaired to the cost to hook up to the sewers, to replace the brick fences etc. The homeowner has to pay for their own appriser and petition the court with these figures. The cost will be in the tens of thousands.

Try to fight the government and you loose.

Now that the Casino is up and comming, all of a sudden there is money to revamp the structure of the streets.

I am not for any of this nor do I have that kind of money to invest.
What about the Sr's who don't have the money. and on my block they will go straight throuh there house wIth this project.

There is no one who can answer any questions or for that matter SPEAKS ENGLISH...........