Nassau County, New York
Selling a home in Garden City
A.T. Stewart's 1869 planned village still has its wide avenues, its cathedral and a string of LIRR stations.
Get my free home valueAbout Garden City
A planned village on the Hempstead Plains
Garden City began in 1869, when New York merchant Alexander Turney Stewart bought land on the Hempstead Plains to build a planned community. The village says it was one of America's earliest planned villages, laid out with wide avenues, trees, homes on spacious lots and a hotel, served by Stewart's own Central Railroad of Long Island. After his death in 1876, his widow Cornelia built the Cathedral of the Incarnation, which still anchors the village.
Sections such as Garden City Estates (1907) and Garden City East followed, and the village incorporated in 1919. It had 23,272 residents in the 2020 Census. Transit is a strong point: the village lists the Stewart Manor, Nassau Boulevard, Garden City and Country Life Press stations on the LIRR Hempstead Branch, plus Merillon Avenue on the Main Line. Adelphi University is in the village.
Homes in Garden City
What sellers should know
Garden City is mostly single-family homes: Tudors, colonials and center-hall houses on tree-lined streets, many built in the village's early 20th-century growth. Exterior changes go through the village, and the Building Department routes some work to the Architectural Design Review Board, so a buyer planning an addition will ask what was approved. Make sure every past addition, dormer or porch enclosure has its permit and certificate of occupancy on file at Village Hall.
Close out permits at Village Hall
The Building Department at 351 Stewart Avenue issues permits and certificates of occupancy. Ask for your property file and close any open permit before you list.
Have both tax bills ready
The village keeps its own assessment rolls for village taxes, separate from Nassau County's assessment. Buyers will ask for both.
Lead with your station
Several LIRR stations serve the village. Tell buyers which one is your walk, and whether it is on the Hempstead Branch or Merillon Avenue on the Main Line.
Show what design review approved
If you changed a facade, roofline or porch, keep the Architectural Design Review Board approval with your papers. It answers a buyer's first question about future changes.
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Selling a home in Garden City: questions
Does Garden City have its own property assessment?
Yes, for village taxes. The village publishes its own tentative and final assessment rolls. County, town and school taxes are based on the Nassau County Department of Assessment's value, and county appeals go to the Assessment Review Commission.
Will a buyer need village approval to change the house?
New buildings, additions, exterior and interior alterations, fences, sheds and decks generally need a village building permit. Some projects also go to the Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Commission or Architectural Design Review Board. The Building Department can tell you which apply.
Which train station is closest to my house?
The village lists Stewart Manor, Nassau Boulevard, Garden City and Country Life Press on the Hempstead Line, and Merillon Avenue on the Main Line. The village puts the ride to Penn Station at about 45 minutes.