Crackdown On Blighted Properties Continues: Lawmakers

MASTIC, NY — The crackdown on blighted properties continues in Mastic and Mastic Beach, town officials said.

According to Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico, on October 1, following a public hearing, the town board told the town attorney to proceed with the "demolition and cleanup" of a property located on Overlook Drive.

"We are not waiting the customary 30 days on this disaster, which we tried to work with the new owner on, in good faith," Panico said. "This was our second public hearing on this matter and the demolition and cleanup of this property is imminent, once we get the documentation of utility shut offs and schedule with our waste management crew."

Earlier, on September 21, Panico and Suffolk County Legislator Rudy Sunderman were onhand for the demolition of a vacant house located at 216 Washington Drive in Mastic Beach. The property, which is located within the Mastic/Shirley conservation area, was seized by Suffolk County as a property tax forfeiture, transferred to the town for demolition and will be preserved as open space, Panico siad.

A local law to preserve open space in the Mastic/Shirley conservation area was sponsored by Sunderman and adopted by the Suffolk County Legislature earlier this year, Panico said.

The legislation protects flood prone areas against future flooding and storm damage by creating more open space within the designated conservation zone, he said.

“We will continue to clean up our communities until there are no more homes to be demolished," Panico said.