Facing The Problem Of Abandoned Homes
There are not many abandoned houses in Woodhaven, but those that do exist are a significant problem deserving our community’s attention.
It doesn’t take much for a single house to ruin an entire block. Just ask someone who must live near a property that has been left empty and hasn’t been maintained for months or years.
Deserted residences will eventually attract unwanted elements: trash, graffiti, vermin and the like.
This has immediate implications for neighbors who are stuck near those houses. They must worry about pests traveling across property lines. They have to put up with the eyesore next door or the strong, unpleasant odors emanating from across the street. They need to be concerned about their own property values being driven down.
This is all unfortunate and very wrong. But that’s not the full extent of it.
The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) has fought hard against quality-of-life problems in our neighborhood. So we’re not minimizing those problems when we say that abandoned houses represent more than a quality-of-life issue. They represent a clear threat to safety in our neighborhood.
Why? Because in many cases, they will also draw squatters and people seeking a place to engage in unsavory activities.
Two examples from Woodhaven show how just a couple of abandoned houses in a neighborhood of thousands of well-maintained residences can pose a major hazard.
In February and March of last year, the WRBA worked to raise awareness of the dangers posed by vacant houses. Our worst fears were realized soon thereafter.
Early on Mar. 12, 2011, 18-yearold Richmond Hill resident Anthony Collao attended a party in an abandoned Woodhaven residence. Several thugs crashed the party and created an altercation. Collao left the party and was pursued by the thugs, who beat him to death.
The fatal assault was deemed a hate crime because the perpetrators used anti-gay slurs, though Collao was not gay. The tragedy attracted attention from across the city, and officials from the highest reaches of city government visited Woodhaven and spoke out about the crime.
The scene of the party, 87-19 90th St., was a tragedy waiting to happen. Someone inevitably would use the abandoned house to engage in activities like throwing unsafe and illegal parties. And it was just a matter of time before those looking for trouble would find it there.
Amazingly, despite all that attention in the wake of the killing, that same house remains vacant and continues to attract squatters—including, we’ve been told, the same ones who threw the party that led to Collao’s death. Police have been to the house on multiple occasions. Graffiti is visible on its walls, and neighbors are concerned that it will be the location of yet another tragedy. The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has cited the property for numerous violations.
This is not the first time a threat posed by a vacant house in Woodhaven has gone unaddressed.
In February 2011, a fire started in an abandoned residence at 85-53 98th St. and eventually spread to the neighboring property. Nobody was hurt, but this was an entirely avoidable occurrence.
For years, the house had been known to neighbors as a nuisance and a danger. The DOB had cited it for all manner of infractions. Yet the house remained abandoned and uncared for, and innocent bystanders ultimately suffered serious damage to their own home as a result.
Abandoned houses are a threat to our community. It is not enough for a deserted residence to accumulate numerous violations and thousands of dollars in fines, without any concrete steps being taken to resolve the problem.
Woodhaven needs and deserves more.
Editor’s note: Blenkinsopp is a member of Community Board 9 and director of communications for the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association. For more information on the WRBA, visit www.woodhaven-nyc.org.
