Empty Locust Valley buildings may be razed

Three boarded-up buildings on a prominent Locust Valley street corner may soon be demolished, pleasing town leaders who have long called them a community eyesore.

The town board was set for a hearing Tuesday to declare the structures dangerous, but before it began, officials said a new owner had agreed to raze them.

Action is expected on the properties, located at Forest Avenue and 13th Street, by early June. They have been vacant since 2007, when numerous code violations, from structural decay to substandard plumbing, were discovered.

Since then, the former rental units have become magnets for trash and graffiti on the outside, as the long-term lack of heat and electricity furthered deterioration inside.

"Anybody in the community could see that they were not as well taken care of as one would like," said Town Councilwoman Elizabeth Faughnan, who lives in Locust Valley. "They were a problem."

A previous owner, the town said, never made improvements allowing the buildings to reopen. But as the town prepared the hearing that would enable them to have the authority to knock down the buildings, a buyer emerged.

"It's always better to resolve these things in an amicable manner," said Supervisor John Venditto.

That new owner, identified by the town as Aguadilla Ltd., could not be reached. Records show the company has owned properties in Mineola, Westbury and Elmont.

If a permit is issued, demolition must be done within 10 days. In case the process stalls, the town has continued the public hearing to June 7.

This street corner has drawn town attention before. A controversial anti-solicitation ordinance -- the subject of a lawsuit by civil liberties advocates -- was meant to curb the crowds of day laborers there.