After lawsuits, home to be razed

Fourteen years of litigation may soon come to an end, and with it a longtime Woodmere eyesore.

With the death of the property owner, his daughter's decision to not pursue his lawsuits against the Town of Hempstead and the recent sale of the property, the Franklin Place house that's little more than rusted metal and peeling wood may finally come down.

Residents near the house are tired of looking at the vacant property they say is a safety risk.

"If the house collapses any further, it could fall onto the [Long Island Rail Road] tracks" near the Woodmere station, said Mara Jacobowitz, 54, who has lived in the community for 30 years and frequently drives past the house. "It has been a community eyesore."

The two-floor, eight-room house built in 1903 is caving in on itself as the wood rots. It sits amid unkempt tall grass, weeds and debris.

Marvin Davis, who owned the home before he died two years ago, filed his first lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Central Islip in 1997.

He sued the town, Nassau County and some of their employees alleging that his constitutional rights were violated when they entered his property in August 1996 to remove structures deemed unsafe and a fire hazard. The court ruled against Davis, who owned the property since 1966, but he continued filing appeals.

"We believe that the claims were without merit," Hempstead Town spokesman Michael Deery said.

Town Deputy Attorney Mary Mahon said Davis' daughter Teresa Padilla, who was appointed administrator of his estate in June, decided to not pursue the lawsuits on behalf of the estate and withdrew them. Padilla, of Apple Valley, Calif., could not be reached for comment.

Davis' son Roger Davis, who has acted on behalf of his father despite his sister being estate administrator, filed a motion to not dismiss the existing case and asked for an extension of an Aug. 5 deadline to amend the complaint, Deery said.

Property records show the house was sold to 202 Franklin LLC, based in Brooklyn, on June 30 for $190,000.

The principals of the limited liability corporation were not disclosed.

"The new owner will remediate the situation," said Roger Davis, who lives in the Bronx.

The buyer plans to improve the property and already has contacted the town's building department, Mahon said.

"We are happy that something is being done with the property," Mahon said. "We are hoping the new owners will take care of razing the building at their own costs."