Hempstead Village begins razing first of several homes in effort to 'minimize blight'

The Village of Hempstead on Monday started demolishing abandoned houses that officials said pose safety risks to residents and disrupt quality of life. 

Crews Monday morning began razing a 0.09-acre property on Linden Avenue, the first of several abandoned sites village officials said they plan to remove in an effort to minimize blight in the village. 

"The demolition today is part of a greater effort by the village administration to minimize the blight in the village by removing abandoned and dangerous structures in the residential areas," village attorney Keisha Marshall said, adding the effort is funded by grants. 

The home, on Linden Avenue in a residential area near Campbell Park, had sat vacant for at least 10 years. It is privately owned and will remain green space until the owner decides otherwise, village attorney Keisha Marshall said.

The push to remove so-called zombie properties comes as the village prepares a downtown revitalization program, said Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr., adding the revitalization plan includes building mixed-use properties and major economic developments. 

“We want our residential neighborhoods to also reflect what we’re doing downtown,” he said, adding that for nearly two decades officials have floated ideas to enhance the community. Revitalization efforts started over the last 18 months, Marshall said.

Sedgwick Easley, the mayor’s publicity director and executive assistant, called Monday’s demolition “a major step in eliminating blight here in our community.” The 722-square-foot cottage was built in 1923, according to Nassau County property records.

Several municipalities are demolishing zombie homes that are deemed eyesores. Hundreds of such properties have been razed across Long Island, including in Brookhaven, North Hempstead and Islip. Officials have said the dilapidated properties harm property values.

Hempstead Village is also eyeing several other homes for demolition, Hobbs said. The village is in the midst of the legal process for those properties, Marshall said, which includes serving notices to property owners and petitioning the court for an order to demolish. 

The village has spent four to six years identifying properties that pose risks of attracting squatters, crime and animals, Hobbs said. Building inspectors scope out the village to pinpoint such properties, secure them and board them up.

The village is funding the endeavor through the community development agency and its annual budget. There is no cost estimate at this point, Marshall said.

Theresa Budhu, 37, a neighbor of the Linden Avenue property, said the house had been abandoned since she moved to the neighborhood five years ago. The home had become a magnet for a feral cat colony, she said.

“It’s a good thing for the community,” Budhu said of the demolition.

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.