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Eight Patchogue Village homes damaged in Superstorm Sandy and now owned by the New York Housing Trust Fund are being taken off the tax rolls and will be demolished and returned for village use, it was announced Monday night.
(See map of locations below.)
The properties were purchased through the trust fund’s New York Rising program, and the fund is exempt from paying taxes, according to the village.
Village Mayor Paul Pontieri said during Monday evening’s Village Board meeting that five of the properties are near or adjacent to village parkland and will be used for additional parking or open space to expand the parks.
“These are really coming at a reasonably good time for us, because we have the $5 million parks grant and this would allow us to incorporate some of those [properties] into that plan,” Pontieri said. “As much as we’re losing $13,000 or $14,000 a year on tax income, you couldn’t purchase [the properties] and expand the parks for $13,000 or $14,000 a year if you were buying them.”
“The downside is, we’re losing tax money,” he said. “But the upside is there’s a really big benefit.”
However, he noted, three of the eight properties, such as 6 Leo Street, are more in the middle of residential blocks, and away from the parks. They might not be so readily used for the public’s benefit.
“We’ll deal with them when we have to deal with them,” he said.
He noted that other Suffolk County villages, such as Bablyon and Lindenhurst, weren’t so lucky, with some blocks losing several houses.
“It looks like somebody lost their teeth,” he said.
The Patchogue houses will be demolished and, eventually, the land will be returned to the village, Pontieri said.
The Village Board unanimously approved removing the properties from the tax rolls.
Top photo: This state-owned property at 390 Rider Avenue is immediately north of a Patchogue Village parking area and can be easily used to expand that lot, Mayor Paul Pontieri said. (Credit: Michael White)
