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Community Corner

Little Neck, Douglaston's 'Forgotten' Path

Unmapped But Not Unloved, Sandhill Road is a Little Piece of the Country Outside the City Grid

Whatever you call it — Sandhill Road, the "Back Road" or 39th Avenue — this crucial artery between the neighborhoods of Little Neck and Douglaston technically does not exist.

At least, according to city mapmakers.

However, residents living along and on either end of the one-lane, two-way street understandably disagree.

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“We’re definitely here… even if the city doesn’t know about us,” said Kathy Restivo, a resident living along Sandhill Road for the past 30 years. “I love living on this street.”

A quick walk down the winding road used by many Long Island Railroad commuters as a shortcut between Little Neck station and Douglas Manor reveals the unique small town-charm of this hidden lane on the outskirts of the largest city in the U.S.

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“It’s like living along an old country road,” Restivo said. “We definitely don’t feel like we’re in the big city living here.”

Still, while life along this secluded strip has many advantages, Restivo says there are also drawbacks.

For instance, Restivo has lingering concerns about the lack of a fire hydrant on the Back Road, and how its absence might affect the city's response during life threatening emergencies. 

“Also when you call 911, you have to explain how to get here," Restivo said.

Residents along the Back Road aren’t the only ones voicing concerns over the street not being on any official city map.

“About four years ago we asked the city to install No Parking signs along portion of the street closest to Aurora Pond,” said Walter Mugdan, president of the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee, referring to a small body of water towards the Douglas Manor end of the private road. “But they declined, saying, ‘It is not a city street.’” 

According to Mike Gannon, research historian for the Douglaston-Little Neck Historical Society, the road, originally named Railroad Avenue, has been around since 1873.

“In fact if you go to the DLHNS Web site, we actually have an historic map of the Douglaston Hill section of Douglas Manor and you can see Railroad Avenue,” Gannon said. 

Unmapped but not unloved by area residents, it doesn't appear that the Back Road's uncertain status on the city grid will change anytime soon.

“The city has a hands-off approach to Sand Hill, and honestly I’m not really sure what my neighbors and I would gain from being included into the city at this point,” Restivo said. “We’ve all already paid to get hooked up to the City’s water system … installed our own speed bumps on Sandhill — and while I can’t speak for my neighbors, I’m fine with things the way they are, except for not having a hydrant.”

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