Residents of Baxter Estates, unhappy with the upkeep of the historic Baxter House by its owner, discussed the possibility of crowdfunding to support the village if it decided to take legal action.
Gloria Marmor, a resident, suggested at the village’s meeting Thursday that money could be raised to support litigation against Sabrina Wu, the home’s owner, by using a crowdfunding website or going through a foundation.
Many residents at the meeting said they supported the funding idea and would contribute.
“Even though I am not a resident of Baxter Estates, the house has value to me,” Allison Kent Fredman said. “It’s valuable to all of us in Port Washington.”
Andrew Korin, a resident of Baxter Estates, said he believes Wu is trying to “string this thing along as long as she possibly can, until the house caves in on itself or burns down.”
“If she sees that the village is going to be more deep-pocketed and they have the funds to support an ongoing litigation, then it kind of swings things in favor of the village again,” he said.
Although residents in the past have criticized how the village trustees have handled the situation, many showed their support during the meeting.
“We’re behind you,” Michael Scotto, a resident, said to the trustees. “The residents are behind you, and we’re here for you and we want to support you.”
Trustee Douglas Baldwin said the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society once brought up the idea of crowdfunding litigation and that the idea “has merit.”
“It’s certainly something we would welcome, because it gives us room to operate,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin said the village has dealt with similar housing situations before and said “we are very diligent in actions that come under our normal course of business.”
“We deal with things on a regular basis in regards to homes that are not landmarked, and we have dealt with them diligently,” Baldwin said. “We do have a track record where we have stood to the challenge and won in court.”
The board is currently waiting for the house’s owner, Sabrina Wu, to submit an application to the village’s Historic Preservation Commission that spells out her plans for the house, which she bought in 1993 for $990,000, according to Nassau County land records.
The house, which is the only landmarked house in the village, was built in 1790 and the Baxter homestead dates back to 1673, according to a history of the estate by the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society.
During informal conversations between Wu and the village, the possibilities of renovating the house or demolishing it and rebuilding it as an exact replica were discussed, Mayor Nora Haagenson said.
“I do know that their preference stated to this board previously is to have the thing demolished and replace,” Chris Prior, the village attorney, said. “I do understand they opposed the landmarking.”
If Wu decided to demolish and rebuild the house, she would only be required to rebuild the exterior as an exact replica because the interior is not landmarked.
Residents have started a Facebook page called “Save the Baxter House” in support of the house.
About 20 residents gathered two weeks ago in front of the house to show support for its preservation.
Trustee Alice Peckelis asked Prior whether the village could take the property under the power of eminent domain.
Because the house is privately owned, Prior said, the village would need to have a good reason for taking the property, such as turning it into a museum or a landmark for public use.
The house, at 15 Shore Road, was landmarked in 2005, a decision Wu opposed because she thought it would limit her options, Prior said.
The village issued Wu two orders to remedy violations — one in April and one in September — for not complying with the village code, which requires her to preserve and keep up the house.
Wu appealed both violations. One order is pending before the village’s zoning board and the other is pending before the state building commission, Prior said.
Prior said the village decided to not pursue the matter when Wu began to cooperate
“While we travel down this path,” Prior said, “we’re hoping it will lead to some productive results.”
Prior said the village has yet to receive the application and he contacted Thomas Levin, Wu’s lawyer, last week to tell him that the decision to hold off on pursuing the orders to remedy would be reconsidered if progress was not made in the near future.
“I spoke with the attorney and noted that an application needs to be submitted fairly quickly or the informal arrangement of leaving the appeals of the OTRs as pending would be accelerated and some more action would need to be taken to get progress,” Prior said.
