Residents say a house at 99th Street and 157th Avenue has become a source of serious concern for neighbors because it has fallen into disrepair and become abandoned after Hurricane Sandy. Anna Gustafson/The Forum Newsgroup
Along a tree-lined street marked by well-kept homes and manicured lawns, there is one house at the corner of 99th Street and 157th Avenue in Old Howard Beach that residents say sticks out like a sore thumb.
The house, which has been rented out to different individuals for years, became abandoned following Hurricane Sandy, neighbors said, and has since fallen into disrepair and become a haven for what area residents say seems like questionable behavior.
“People are coming and going at all times of the night,” said one resident, who did not wish to give his name for fear of retaliation. “Since the storm you see people coming in and out, in and out – and late at night. There are little kids on this street, and you don’t want them to go past it.”
The house has several broken windows, and last week graffiti was painted on the home’s fence.
The situation seemed to intensify over the past month, residents said, and last week graffiti – including a crude phrase with an expletive – was painted on the house’s fence. Police arrived not long after the graffiti was done to remove it, and one neighbor said two individuals started to clean up the property late last week. Since then, a resident said those in the area have not seen individuals entering or exiting the house as they once used to, though they noted the gutters still seem to be dangerously hanging off the structure and the windows are broken.
“This house is just an eyesore – want it fixed,” said one resident.
Others noted the “broken window theory” – the idea that what seems like light vandalism or disrepair ends up drawing more serious criminal behavior – is applicable to the home, though they’re crossing their fingers that there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Since last week, the home’s overgrown lawn has been cut and lights have been put up, and residents said they’re cautiously optimistic that this is the beginning of a change for the house – which individuals stressed is located not far from Our Lady of Grace School.
“Everybody’s been really upset about it, so we’re hoping things change,” a neighbor said. “We really took a beating in the storm, and we just want to see the neighborhood rebound.”
The city Department of Buildings did not have a property record on the house, and the owner could not be contacted for this article.
By Anna Gustafson
