Neighbors say it has been a nightmare living near this defunct factory on 84th Street
Photo by Michael Cusenza
Genesys Diaz won’t allow her 2-year-old daughter to play in their yard. Iris Gonzalez has her husband escort her to her car in the rear of her property early each morning. Robin Abdul-Wahhab won’t leave her home after 6 p.m.
Frustrated neighbors of a long-defunct Ozone Park factory detailed this week how the property’s abhorrent conditions have taken a significant toll on their daily lives.
Nearly a dozen exasperated homeowners attended Tuesday night’s Community Board 9 meeting to draw attention to the issues—raccoons, vermin, feral cats, bats, skunks, snakes, insects, wild shrubbery, foul odors—they said are emanating from the building located on the corner of 84th Street and 102nd Road.
Raccoons, rodents and various vermin call the property home, according to some area homeowners
Photo by Michael Cusenza
“Someone has to help us—we are desperate” said Gonzalez, a teacher who has lived next to the building for about 16 years. “I have not enjoyed my backyard this year at all.” Gonzalez noted that she relies on her husband to walk her to her car “because I’m afraid of the raccoons.”
In some cases, homeowners have even encountered uninvited guests inside their buildings.
“My daughter is afraid to sleep in her own bed” because of past problems with insects, Diaz said. “I’m just tired of it, I’m done,” added her mother, Monica.
Abdul-Wahhab, whose Liberty Avenue property abuts the factory, said that on more than one occasion raccoons have entered the home she shares with her six children and grandchild.
“It’s a wildlife preserve over there,” she said. “It’s incredible.”
Some neighbors said they have called 311, but nothing has been done to the building or surrounding land. A city Department of Health spokesman told The Forum this week that the agency inspected the property on Aug. 18 “and found no signs of rodents. We cited the property owner for overgrown weeds and debris, and we will continue to monitor the property for any public health hazards.”
A city Department of Buildings spokesman said that they have received one complaint on the property in the last 20 years. Inspectors visited the site on July 29 of this year, the same day as the complaint was filed, however they could not gain access. DOB representatives returned two days later, but again the building was locked. They left a legal request to the owner to contact the agency and arrange for the property to be inspected.
In the meantime, one 84th Street homeowner who asked that their name not be published said they feel as though they’re being held hostage.
“This [situation] has caused stress on our homes and on our families,” they said, clearly frustrated. “We need to help each other solve this problem that never ends.”
By Michael Cusenza
