Town Razes 250th Zombie House In Medford

BROOKHAVEN TOWN, NY — Brookhaven Town officials continued on their dedicated mission to rid the community of blighted houses — razing the 250th zombie house on Tuesday.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, along with Councilmen Michael Loguercio, Neil Foley and Kevin LaValle convened at 185 Southaven Avenue in Medford to mark the teardown.

The first demolition occurred in Sept., 2014 when the supervisor identified his “Dirty Dozen,” 12 vacant or abandoned houses targeted for demolition by the town that he said were dangerous eyesores and a detriment to the quality of life in the community.

The 250th demolished house was severely damaged by a fire in 2016 and had become a dangerous nuisance and the source of resident complaints, town officials said.

The house was removed by employees from the town’s department of recycling and sustainable materials management in accordance with Chapter 73 of the town code which provides a “fast track” to rid neighborhoods of unsafe structures. The cost of demolition and debris removal is the responsibility of the property owner, and the town places a lien on the property that's subsequently placed on the tax bill. The county reimburses the town and then they collect the money from the property owner, the town said.

“I am proud to mark this as our 250th demolition, but our work is far from being done," Romaine said. "There are many more derelict, abandoned houses that are a blight on neighborhoods throughout Brookhaven. I will continue to work with the town board to identify houses in each district and get the wheels in motion to remove them.”

Foley added: “This is another example of the Town of Brookhaven’s commitment to improve the quality of life in every neighborhood. It’s a great day for the residents who have lived with this eyesore over the past few years. I ask that people report vacant and abandoned houses to the town and we will work to have them demolished.”

Loguercio said it’s important to demolish zombie houses, which not only create many problems, but also lower the value of surrounding properties.

“This house, like many other zombie houses, was in the middle of a nice neighborhood where people are working hard to raise their families," Lavalle said. "I am determined to clean up my council district and I warn negligent property owners that the town will not tolerate dilapidated and unsafe houses to impact the quality of life of our residents.”

To report a vacant house, click here, or call 631-451-TOWN (8696).