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By Robert Everett Johnson and Garrett Atherton
Almost anywhere else in America, what the Town of Brookhaven is doing to Greg Mensch would be against the law. The town is threatening to use eminent domain to seize Mensch's property and then turn it over to a private developer.
For years, Mensch has owned and operated a bus company in the Ronkonkoma Hub area near the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road station. Mensch's company, North Fork Express Bus, shuttles travelers up and down Long Island for weddings, wine tours, casino trips and more. And when the train breaks down, the company's buses are on hand to provide emergency transportation.
But now, Mensch is quickly becoming a victim of his neighborhood's success. The Ronkonkoma Hub has become the target of government officials and private developers who want to redevelop the area around the LIRR station. Government officials...