Carmel Town Board Tackles 4 Zombie Properties

CARMEL, NY — Carmel's building inspector has asked the Town Board for permission to get four neglected, abandoned properties minimally cleaned up, TapInto Mahopac reports.

The action would be taken under the town's zombie law, passed last year. "Zombie" properties are those that have become a blight on the neighborhood since being abandoned by their owner. Many are in foreclosure. The clean-up includes mowing and weed removal. In two cases the house also needs to be boarded up. The town would then send a bill to the owner of record; if it is not paid, it would become a levy on the property tax bill, which would have to be paid if/when the house is sold.

The properties in Carmel are:

• 66 Orchard St.
• 39 Colonial Drive
• 4 Northview Drive
• 11 Meadow Drive

Read the entire article on TapInto Mahopac.

As of 2016 in Putnam County, according to state Senators Terrence Murphy and Jeff Klein, 114 zombie properties hurt the value of 289 neighboring homes. Their 2016 report, "The Great American Bank Robbery: 40th State Senate District and Putnam & Dutchess Counties," detailed over $6 million in property value depreciation resulting from poorly maintained bank-owned homes and "zombie properties."

Studies show that homes within a 300-foot radius of a bank-owned or zombie home depreciate by 1.3 percent, an average $5,000, they said.

The impact of zombie properties in Putnam totaled $1.23 million in property value depreciation, according to the report.

SEE: Lawmakers Start Fight against 'Zombie' Properties in Putnam, Dutchess