Battling blighted homes in Huntington

Tracy Drive is a tree-shaded street tucked away in the Southdown area of Huntington Town, north of Route 25A. Meticulously landscaped homes line the street -- until you reach No. 6.

With overgrown shrubbery and grass, a yard filled with debris, a cracked and weed-strewn driveway and a faded town sign announcing the house is not habitable for humans, it stands out as an eyesore.

Moreover, said William Ober, who lives across the street, "The back wall is caving in, ready to go at any moment. The basement has standing water, animals and critters live in there, it's unsafe."

The house has been selected by town officials as the first to be subject to a new law that targets blighted homes.

The law, adopted in July, created a list of blight conditions with point values for each. The owner of a property that earns 100 points will face an annual fee attached to the town tax bill: $5,000 for commercial properties and $2,500 for residential, until the issues are addressed.

During a town inspection last month, the home at 6 Tracy Dr. scored 125 points, including 50 for posing "a serious threat to safety, health and/or the general welfare of the community."

Thomas Emberton, who has owned the ranch-style home since it was built in the late 1950s, moved out a few years before it was boarded up by the town, neighbors said. Town officials say that happened in 2004. The house has continued to deteriorate, drawing the ire of neighbors who worry about safety and property values. Ober, for example, said he has spearheaded two repaintings of the house to improve its appearance.

Neighbors say the town did not respond to their concerns because Emberton always paid his property taxes.

Town board member Susan Berland, sponsor of the blight legislation, says that's not true.

"The part of your taxes that goes to pay the town is the smallest part of your bill," Berland said. "To say that because the gentleman paid his tax bill would have anything to do with whether or not the house was looked at is totally not true."

Emberton, who is in his late 80s and lives in Farmingdale, according to records, said complaints about his Huntington house are unwarranted.

"I have been working with the town and will continue to," he said.

Town officials say they sent Emberton a notice late last month advising him he had 30 days to address the problems. Emberton says he received no notice.

Rick Winter, who moved into the neighborhood four years ago, said he has appealed to the town at several levels and has not gotten a satisfactory response. He says he hopes the new law will be effective.

"So now he'll pay an additional $2,500 a year," Winter said. "He's wasted how many dollars over the years, $100,000 in taxes? Is $2,500 really going to make a difference?"