A so-called “zombie” home that has plagued a Blue Point neighborhood for “many years,” attracting vandals and drug users, was torn down Tuesday by Brookhaven Town, officials said.
The house at 11 Barrow Place was a source or numerous complaints, according to a press announcement. Brookhaven Town Councilman Neil Foley was among the elected leaders on site Tuesday, Oct. 3, to see the house torn down.
“This house was a dangerous eyesore in a neighborhood where people take pride in their homes,” Foley said in a statement. “I am committed to do whatever we can to demolish houses that impact negatively on the quality of life and property values in my Council District and throughout the Town of Brookhaven.”
Related: Brookhaven looks to rehab ‘zombie’ homes for affordable housing
Zombie home is a term for a house on a property abandoned by their owners — whether the owners died, or picked up and left — but never went through the foreclosure process. Vacant houses have plagued Long Island neighborhoods since the housing bubble burst, with Brookhaven greatly impacted.
Supervisor Ed Romaine recently said there are over 2,000 such houses in Brookhaven alone. About 150 have already been destroyed by the town.
The home in Blue Point was demolished under Chapter 73 of the Town Code, which provides a fast track to rid neighborhoods of unsafe structures, officials said.
The cost of demolition and debris removal is charged to the property owner — most often a bank — and the town places a lien on the property, which is then placed on the tax bill. The county reimburses the town, and its the county that collects the money, ultimately.
Top: Councilman Neil Foley in front of the destroyed home at Barrow Place on Tuesday.
Brookhaven Town courtesy photos
