Brookhaven Town’s ongoing effort to remove derelict “zombie homes” has made neighborhoods safer, cleaner, and more valuable, officials say. Hundreds of abandoned, decaying houses have been demolished under the town’s program to eliminate unsafe and blighted properties.
Councilman Mike Loguercio said the initiative has had a major impact across communities across Brookhaven. “These properties are a tremendous eyesore and a danger because of the risk of fire, trespassers, and animals,” he said. “Once we knock them down, residents are always thankful because we’ve cleaned up the area and protected their property values.”
A property qualifies as a zombie home when it is vacant and deemed structurally unsafe by an independent engineer. The town then holds a public hearing, and if the structure is condemned, the owner has 30 days to secure a building permit or demolish it themselves before the town steps in. Costs—typically around $30,000, depending on size and asbestos removal—are recouped through a tax lien on the property.
Loguercio said most of the condemned homes are privately owned rather than bank-held foreclosures. “A lot of these owners just give up,” he said. “They can’t afford to fix the property, or it’s been sitting empty after tenants moved out.”
Councilman Neil Foley, who recently oversaw the demolition of a long-vacant house on Creighton Avenue in Lake Ronkonkoma, said such action is essential to maintaining community standards. “This property had been a long-standing eyesore in an otherwise wonderful neighborhood,” Foley said. “Its removal is a positive step forward in keeping our community safe, clean, and beautiful.”
Town officials estimate that hundreds of zombie homes, more than 350 by the end of last year, including the dilapidated Sachem school building in Holbrook, have already been cleared, with more targeted for removal as Brookhaven continues restoring blighted properties to productive use.