Larry Schwartz: “Buyer Beware!”

From left, Larry Schwartz, special advisor to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, makes the case for building a new Tappan Zee Bridge, as Business Council of Westchester CEO Marsha Gordon listens.

At a meeting with South Nyack residents, Larry Schwartz, secretary to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, made an alarming statement.  He said that “residents who buy properties near airports and highways should know they are taking a risk.”  Really?  I find this logic to be extremely disconcerting.

The South Nyack homeowners who bought properties near the Tappan Zee Bridge/Thruway corridor were fully aware they were taking on the normal inconveniences that go along with living near a highway:  noise, pollution, truck vibrations, periodic construction and repair projects, and etc.  We willingly and knowingly took on the expected “risks” of living near a highway, and have done so for many years without complaint.  What we had not bargained for was losing all of our rights as  property owners, simply because we chose to live next to a highway!

We have been hard-working and tax-paying citizens (just like everybody else), so it seems reasonable to expect the same rights and protections that are available to  any other homeowner in the nation. Doesn’t the government provide bail outs for homeowners facing foreclosure?  Don’t we have federal programs to help victims of floods and other natural disasters?  But Larry Schwartz’s attitude towards residents who live near the I-287 corridor is bascially:  “Tough luck — buyer beware.”

Indeed, if we were to follow this logic further, it could be argued that anybody who suffers an unexpected loss that is beyond their control could be told they should have known the risk:  “Your house got flooded?  Well, it was built near a river, so you should have been aware of the risks involved.”  “The bank lost all of your savings because of poor financial practices? Well, you should have been prepared for this, since there are stories in the newspaper everyday about bank mismanagement.” “Somebody shot you on Main Street last night?  Well, you shouldn’t have been out at night — it’s dangerous.”

It is not fair to use our proximity to the highway as a weapon against us — as if we “deserve” what has happened to us. By choosing to purchase properties near the highway, we have helped make South Nyack a desirable village to live in (indeed, what would happen if nobody chose to live near the infrastructure of cities and town?) By paying our taxes, participating in our community, and frequenting local businesses, we have contributed to the economic and cultural wealth of our village.  To suggest that we do not deserve the same treatment and protection that any other homeowner is entitled to seems unconscionable.  Indeed, if what Mr. Schwartz said is true, then purchasing property near highways, bridges, and airports should be against the law!   This, at least, would protect innocent homebuyers from making a purchase that could turn out to be disastrous.  At the very least, maybe there should be insurance to protect homeowners from finding themselves in circumstances like ours!