Brookhaven demolishes two vacant houses in Gordon Heights, Manorville

Two vacant houses in Gordon Heights and Manorville have been demolished by the Town of Brookhaven after officials determined they were unsafe.

The Gordon Heights home, on Mill Road, had been damaged by a fire almost 10 years ago and had been the subject of numerous complaints from neighbors, town officials said in a news release. The home was torn down on June 2.

The Manorville home, on Carol Avenue, razed on June 1, had been vacant for more than seven years and had been cited for numerous town code violations, officials said.

The town board had approved both demolitions after inspectors found structural deficiencies and determined the homes were unfit for habitation.

“A house like this one lowers the property values of nearby homes and has a detrimental impact on everyone in the neighborhood,” Town Supervisor Edward P. Romaine said of the Gordon Heights house.

Town officials said they plan to clear debris from each property and grade the land at each site. Demolition and debris removal costs will be added to the property tax bills of each homeowner, town officials said.

“This unsafe structure will no longer cast a shadow on this beautiful community,” Councilman Dan Panico said of the Manorville house. “It is the latest to be demolished as part of the most aggressive crackdown of derelict houses in Brookhaven’s history.”