The East Williston Village Board is opting to await the outcome of a variance application tied to a possible sale before it considers demolishing a house at 8 Sumter St. whose condition has the been source of repeated resident complaints.
Developer Bruno Calleo has an application before the village Planning Board to subdivide the property, village attorney Jeffrey Blinkoff said at Monday night’s village board meeting.
The planning board conducted an initial hearing last month but continued the hearing to a date yet to be determined. Village officials have said sale of the property is conditioned on the developer receiving a variance to subdivide the property.
Homeowner John Muzio’s proposed deal came after a protracted battle with the village in Nassau County Supreme Court. The village prevailed, gaining the right to either demolilsh or refurbish the long-abandoned structure at the owner’s expense.
“We have decided it would be too early to move forward with demolition on advice of counsel at this point,” said village Trustee Robert Vella Jr.
East Williston Mayor David Tanner said the village had received a $30,000 bid from a contractor to demolish the house. But Vella said the village would have to incur the cost and then seek reimbursement from Muzio. He said he thinks village residents would be upset about the village spending the money for the demolition.
“We’re at a precipice here,” Vella said.
The issue of what action to take on the house has been pending over the past several months as neighbors have continued complaining about raccoons inhabiting the abandoned house, which has broken windows and no roof. Village officials said the house is strewn with debris and animal feces. The village Department of Public Works has been laying traps on the property to deal with the raccoons.
“This is a blight on the village. But neighbors have diverging opinions,” Vella said.
Former village Trustee John Ferro said after causing his neighbors aggravation, Muzio would realize a “windfall” from the sale of property if the village board opted to permit the sale to proceed rather than knocking the house down.
“We need to be somewhat prudent here,” Vella said. “The property could be demolished in two months without the village spending any money.”
Vella said he thinks the legal pressure the village applied and the prospective demolition or refurbishment of the house at Muzio’s expense prompted Muzio to strike the deal to sell the property. Saying the village board is “constrained somewhat,” he pointed out that Muzio would need to be notified of the demolition and permitted a period of time to remove possessions from the house.
Blinkoff said if the village Planning Board approves the subdivision or reserves decision, the matter would likely then be considered by the village Board of Zoning Appeals to decide on the variance request.
“There’s no quick solution here,” Tanner said. “Everybody knows what needs to be done.”
In other developments:
• Tanner announced the village board had voted to maintain Dejana Industries as its garbage carting service.
The village board took the vote on Dejana at its agenda meeting last month.
The village board had unanimously approved a new three-year contract with Dejana last May, but had an option to reconsider the deal after the first year.
Village residents complained that Dejana workers were not separating garbage and recyclables and the village board rebid the contract earlier this year. In rebidding, Tanner had said, Dejana bid $10,000 less than it was paid in the first year – $322,752 – while Westbury-based Meadow Carting came in with a bid of $326,400 for the contract.
