Hempstead Town officials reject designation of East Garden City

The Hempstead Town Board passed a resolution Tuesday asking the U.S. Census Bureau to drop the designation of a 3-square-mile stretch of Uniondale known as East Garden City.

The region includes the Nassau Coliseum, Hofstra University, Museum Row and Roosevelt Field. It has been known as East Garden City in census records dating to the 1970s, with other references dating to World War II.

Hempstead Town officials answered protests and calls from the Greater Uniondale Area Action Coalition to designate the area as Uniondale. Hempstead officials have sent letters on the issue to federally elected representatives since 2012.

According to the resolution, the town will refer to the area as Uniondale and refrain from using "East Garden City" in statements, maps and websites.

Residents protested the name last month after they saw signs and references to East Garden City and plans for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to be built in the area under that name.

Residents applauded the resolution during Tuesday's meeting. Activists have worried the region would incorporate as a village and increase taxes, and discriminate against minorities and less wealthy residents.

"You're making it crystal clear you represent us . . . and not developers trying to steal the core tax base," said Greg Maney, a Hofstra professor and co-facilitator of the coalition.

Rep. Kathleen Rice also announced Tuesday that census officials would meet with local officials and residents on May 29 at her district office to discuss the name change.

Rice (D-Garden City) sent a letter to New York Census Regional Director Jeff Behler, advocating for the meeting and keeping the area known as Uniondale.

"We know there's no such thing as 'East Garden City,' " Rice said in a statement. "It's Uniondale, and calling it by any other name will only divide a community that should remain whole."

Census officials said the Uniondale boundaries have not changed since at least 1990.

East Garden City was created in 2000 as an unincorporated area for the 2010 census to present demographics but not legal boundaries.Hempstead officials removed all known signs in 2012 and have added "Welcome to Uniondale" signs in recent weeks. Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby plans to present the resolution later this month to Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.