Forum Photo by Nicole SanPhilippo’
Concerned residents can rest easy with demolition of the longtime eyesore on the immediate horizon.
By Patricia Adams
Residents in Old Howard Beach recently made several calls to The Forum after a waterfront property, abandoned since Superstorm Sandy, began to sink further into Hawtree Creek.
Fears were mounting that the shed and the deck attached to the property would soon break free and clog the waters of the creek, introducing dangerous conditions in the waterway and prohibiting any watercraft from passing.
The house, located on Bayview Avenue near 163rd Avenue in Ramblersville, was badly damaged back in 2012 and has remained unoccupied since.
As with all properties in similar condition, the homeowners were offered the choice to renovate, rebuild, or surrender the property for market value to the City’s Build it Back initiative.
Due to the highly restrictive conditions and the extended time frame involved, the homeowners of this property chose to participate in the acquisition phase of the program and sold their home to the City.
On Wednesday, The Forum learned from a spokesperson at State Sen. Joe Addabbo’s (D-Howard Beach) office that the fate of the property, which has been boarded up and presented an eyesore for years, is finally being resolved.
The house is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and demolition is now being rushed. Sources told the newspaper that permits from the City Department of Buildings and Department of Environmental Conservation should be issued by the end of this week and that demolition should begin next week.
