Town, County Pay $788K for Knockdowns in the Station

Three houses newly purchased from Pius Realty, Ltd. by Huntington will be razed to make way for eight duplex homes as part of the town's 'Take Back the Blocks' program.

The town purchased the properties with help from Suffolk County for a total of $778,000. The town's portion came from its Affordable Housing Trust Fund, established in 2001, which currently has about $2.8 million contributed by developers who sought rezonings. The county is contributing $389,000 toward the purchase and $100,000 for infrastructure  improvements. Construction of the new duplexes will be funded by a $1.56 million state Restore New York Communities grant.

When constructed, the eight duplexes will each be 2,000 square feet including a garage and a legal-accessory apartment, the income from which will help the homeowner afford the property.

The duplexes will be made available to first-time homebuyers, selected by lottery, meeting income requirements. The tenants of the eight apartments will also have to meet income requirements. Priority will be given to residents of the Huntington School District. It is estimated that the selling price for each of the units will be $200,000.

This is the third project to be implemented under the Take Back the Blocks program initiated by Supervisor Frank Petrone in 2003. The first was in 2005 and is located at 32 East 6th Street. The town secured that property at no cost through a foreclosure by Suffolk County. The second property, also purchased from Pius, is located at 1 Tower Street. The rehabilitation of that is near completion and will be offered to a qualified buyer soon.

The homes are located in the area around the Jack Abrams Intermediate School, where there have been several shootings in the past month. Huntington parents and school board trustees have been up in arms about the crime in the area, demanding the town take action.  School Board Trustee Rich McGrath, in particular, has placed much of the blame on absentee landlords, which is part of what the town says the Take Back the Blocks program is meant to combat.