Town Razes 2 Additional Zombie Houses In Mastic Beach

MASTIC BEACH, NY — Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico, who has been waging a war on blight in the Mastic Beach and Shirley areas, saw another victory recently as two additional zombie houses were razed.

The Mastic Beach homes were located at 53 Lincoln Drive and 6 Quail Drive; Panico said both houses were abandoned and had stood vacant for many years, a source of resident complaints.

The structures were demolished 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 is then placed on the tax bill. Suffolk County reimburses the town and then collect the money from the property owners, Panico explained.

“Block by block, we are removing the blight and decay in the area. We are cleaning up the community by removing these blighted structures and raising the quality of life and property values in the area. It will be a great day when we can declare that there are no more demolitions to occur. We aren’t there yet, but I am confident we will get there," Panico said.

Other efforts have included demolitions in recent months at 114 Pine Road and 102 Hickory Road, where the property will be preserved as open space.

"The demolition of these eyesores is another example of how the Town of Brookhaven is keeping our promise to improve the quality of life in Mastic Beach," Supervisor Ed Romaine said. "Houses like these are a detriment to the community and I commend Councilman Panico for his efforts to get the job done."

Panico added: "The most aggressive battle against suburban blight in the history of Brookhaven Town is being waged by this administration, and we are winning for our residents. We are working to strip away the years of decay in Mastic Beach so the area's true beauty can shine."

The battle has been fierce to fight back against blighted areas: Earlier this spring, a falling down structure located at 719 Riviera Drive was demolished, according to Panico.

Panico posted a photo of the derelict home on his Facebook page and promised that another structure, 136 Riviera, would be coming down, too. He also said that the town board would discuss, at its town board meeting setting a public hearing on the demolition and clean up of another blighted property on Beaver Drive.

The board has been actively seeking to rid the landscape of the area of burned out, blighted parcels.

In April, a burned out "zombie house" that's long been an eyesore in the Mastic Beach community was torn down, officials said.

On April 10, Panico and Suffolk County Legislator and Mastic Fire Chief Rudy Sunderman were at the site for the razing of the house, located at 176 Maywood Road in Mastic Beach.

The house, which sustained major damage from fires over the past three years, was deemed a dangerous nuisance in the neighborhood and sparked a public outcry from residents.

"We are dedicated and have committed to cleaning up and making Mastic Beach the beautiful waterfront community that it should be," Panico said. "As each of these houses come down, property values rise and we take another step forward to achieving the quality of life that residents deserve."

Not only will Brookhaven Town investigators be keeping an eye out for similar issues, "Residents will also be seeing a great number of bulldozers and other heavy equipment in the area as we will continue to remove this suburban decay for a brighter future," he said.

Also in April the former Dairy Barn on William Floyd Parkway commenced, Panico said, with a list of others under consideration by the town board for demolition.

Patch photos courtesy Brookhaven Town.