Town Wants Wrecking Ball for Blighted Smithtown Houses

Town of Smithtown officials now face the tough decision of deciding whether to pick up or potentially demolish two Smithtown homes.

Smithtown Town Board help public hearings on Tuesday about two blighted Smithtown homes at 30 Helen Avenue and 7 Hadley Drive. Both have been deemed "unsafe" under town code.

Smithtown resident Doreen Paladino told town board members the 30 Helen Avenue home has been empty since it partly burned down on Oct. 31, 2008. A neighbor of the property, said her husband saw flames shooting out of the roof of the building and jumped the fence to make sure the tenant who had lived there at the time had escaped unharmed.

• Photos: See homes that the town could consider blighted in Smithtown, Commack, Kings Park and Hauppauge.

It's been four long years and the house has remained empty, the fire's damaged unfixed, according to Paladino. She said an unmaintained pool was infested with mosquitoes over the summer and the property has a raccoon infestation.

"It is not acceptable that I cannot enjoy use of my property, there's loss of enjoyment on my property. The site is horrendous to look at," Paladino said.

As a neighbor, she also has concerns that if the damaged home is allowed to remain standing that it will have an impact on surrounding home values.

John Zollo, Smithtown's town attorney, said he will file the building inspector's reports on both properties so the town can move forward with either remediating or demolishing buildings on both properties. No specific decision has been made about either site.

In June 2011, Smithtown officials started the process of addressing the town's blighted properties as councilmen Robert Creighton, Kevin Malloy and Edward Wehrheim forming a master list of 19 properties considered blighted in the town. These are among the first properties on that list for which the town has held public hearings on.

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.