Lawmakers Cracking Down On Squatters At Mastic House

MASTIC, NY — Quality of life concerns continue to be a number one issue for Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico, who said Monday that efforts are in place to remove squatters from a property on Patchogue Avenue in Mastic.

The Town of Brookhaven's building and law departments are working with the Suffolk County Police Department to enforce a condemnation order and remove the squatters at the property, he said.

"The town's contractor will soon board and secure the premises, which has a long history of drug related activity," Panico said.

Efforts have been underway for months to clean up blighted parcels and restore quality of life to areas in need of a facelift.

Zombie houses were razed in August, part of Panico's ongoing efforts to clean up the waterfront community. The houses, located at 114 Pine Road and 102 Hickory Road in Mastic, were demolished by the town's department of recycling and sustainable materials management — 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."

Councilman 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.

The building was demolished by the Brookhaven Town department of recycling and sustainable materials management, in accordance with Chapter 73 of the town code which provides a "fast track" to remove unsafe structures from neighborhoods, town officials said.

The property owner will be responsible for cost of demolition and debris removal; the town places a lien on the property, which is then placed on the tax bill. Meanwhile, Suffolk County reimburses the town for costs; the funds are then collected from the property owner.

"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 courtesy photos.

Photo courtesy Dan Panico.

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