Huntington To Crack Down On Zombie Homes

HUNTINGTON, NY — The Huntington Town Board approved a preventive measure that will address zombie homes and vacant storefronts at its meeting on Tuesday.

The measure will incentivize the occupation or turnover of ownership of zombie homes, problem properties and vacant storefronts by imposing escalating penalties for each year a property is vacant and listed on the Vacant Building Registry. Religious organizations will continue to be exempt from paying the vacant building registration fee. Supervisor Chad Lupinacci proposed the measure in July.

"Some of our neighborhoods are suffering from quality of life issues presented by absentee owners who neglect their vacant properties, resulting in neighborhood eyesores or, in the worst case scenario, attract unlawful activities that require law enforcement to step in before the Town can," Lupinacci stated. "Now, this Town is giving absentee property owners an incentive to fill their long-abandoned homes and buildings or sell the property to someone who will."

At the meeting, Town Clerk Andrew P. Raia presented the Town Board the Supervisor’s Tentative Budget for 2022.

The town also renamed the Manor Fieldhouse at Manor Field Park at 90 E. 5th St., Huntington Station, as The William Thomas Field House.

William Thomas was a longtime resident and youth football advocate who dedicated his life to the children of the Huntington Youth Bulldogs Football PAL at Manor Field, working tirelessly to use the sport as a vehicle to help young people improve their lives, according to the town.