A developer wants to demolish an 85-year-old home in Wantagh and replace it with two new houses. Apparently opposed to the move, the Hempstead Town Board voted earlier this month to designate the property a historic landmark.
Now, the developer, South Nassau Building Corp., is suing, calling the designation unconstitutional, according to Newsday.
South Nassau filed a lawsuit in federal court last week, saying the landmarking has no historical basis. It noted that the Wantagh Preservation Society decided last year that the property had no historical value.
The developer bought the property in May for $1 million, and laid out its construction plans.
South Nassau’s attorney, Christian Browne, said he told the landmark commission that “you don’t exist to stop people from exercising ordinary property rights.” [Newsday] — Dennis Lynch