Vacant Coram strip mall deemed an eyesore should be torn down, civic group says

An abandoned Coram strip mall has racked up thousands of dollars in fines for numerous Brookhaven Town building code violations as civic leaders demand the building be cleaned up or torn down.

The vacant stores and parking lot at Plaza 99 on Middle Country Road often are littered with alcohol containers and drug needles, civic leaders and town officials said. Brookhaven officials said they removed couches they believe were used for prostitution.

The shopping plaza, which previously included a bagel store, a smoke shop, a Chinese restaurant, a nail salon and a disco, has been closed for at least a decade, officials said.

Plaza 99's owners have paid $9,000 in fines for code violations, Brookhaven spokesman Jack Krieger said. Court records show the property is owned by Middle Country Road Realty LLC. 

Attempts to reach the company were unsuccessful.

Coram Civic Association president Kareem Nugdalla said the property is an eyesore and public health threat that brings down residential property values.

“The property owner is not doing anything," Nugdalla said. "I find it so hard to believe that in the United States of America, you’re allowed to have a property in this state of disrepair and nothing is done.”

In addition to paying fines for previous code violations, Middle Country Road Realty pleaded guilty in June in 6th District County Court in Patchogue for failing to repair fencing and cracks in the parking lot and other violations, according to court records provided by Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner. The records show District Court Judge James F. Matthews ordered the company to repair fences and a dumpster enclosure, keep the property free of litter and fill potholes in the parking lot within 30 days.

The court order also required the company to renew its building permit, obtain permits to fix or replace signs and obtain a certificate of occupancy.

“None of this was done,” Bonner said, adding the town "has used every tool in our toolbox that we can use to bring them into compliance. ... I want this property owner to do the right thing.”

Town officials have asked Matthews to declare the company in violation of the court order and to consider additional punishment.

'Taking Back 25' cleanup project

Coram has been the focus of a yearslong cleanup effort dubbed " Taking Back 25."

Launched almost three years ago by Suffolk County and Brookhaven officials and community volunteers, it is aimed at addressing homelessness, drug abuse, prostitution and panhandling in the hamlet along a stretch of state Route 25, also known as Middle Country Road. 

County Legis. Nick Caracappa (R-Selden) said Suffolk officials have no direct role in individual properties such as Plaza 99, adding property maintenance is a town matter.

He said Suffolk police have made hundreds of arrests in recent years in Coram for crimes including loitering, drug possession, vandalism and prostitution. Suffolk County police did not immediately provide crime statistics for Plaza 99.

“We’re hoping to see what we can do for long-term fixes” in Coram, Caracappa said. 

Nugdalla said he and other Coram residents are frustrated that Plaza 99 isn't treated like a vacant house.

Brookhaven in recent years has invoked the town's abandoned properties ordinance to tear down hundreds of homes that were deemed unsafe and structurally unsound.

“We keep asking them, why are you not applying this code?” Nugdalla said.

Bonner said the law doesn't apply to Plaza 99.

"The buildings within the shopping center are structurally sound," she said. "There is no legal basis to enforce this part of the regulation at this time."

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.