Town Councilman Lou Imbroto today announced the launch of a new online initiative that allows residents to report abandoned/zombie properties within their neighborhood located in the unincorporated areas of the Town of Oyster Bay. This new Abandoned Property/Zombie Home Registry assists the Town of Oyster Bay in combatting eyesores in local communities.

 

“Protecting our suburban quality of life is a top priority for the Town Board,” said Councilman Imbroto, who serves as Chairman of the Town’s Quality of Life Taskforce. “No community should be forced to deal with unmaintained and dangerous eyesores that serve as havens for squatters, rodents and other such problems. The Abandoned Property/Zombie Home Registry will help us continue to make headway with cleaning up these eyesores, and we encourage residents to serve as our eyes and ears by using this reporting system to help.”

 

Zombie homes are properties that have been vacant for an extended period of time and are often owned by a bank, trust, or mortgage company. Code Enforcement Bureau from the Department of Planning of Development continually monitor vacant properties, issue Notices of Violation against neglected properties, and take action to cleanup properties. With help from the public, the Town can better identify every existing eyesore within communities.

 

Once a property has been identified as abandoned or an eyesore, Code Enforcement Officers inspect the property to assess the property. The Town explores all possible avenues to spur the owner to rehabilitate the property. Once all options have been exhausted, the Town will seek legal remedies to demolish eyesore in the community.

 

“The objective of the Town’s Zombie Home Program is to ensure the Town of Oyster Bay continues to be a highly desirable community to live, work and raise a family,” added Supervisor Saladino said. “This new, online registry will help our Department of Planning and Development enhance their tracking of eyesores. Ultimately, if the property owner cannot keep it maintained, the goal of this initiative is to make way for new families and new homes after tearing down these zombie homes.”

 

The Town’s Abandoned Property/Zombie Home Registry was established under a grant provided through the New York State Housing Stabilization Fund. To report an abandoned property, please visit www.oysterbaytown.com/abandoned-property.