Demolition Begins at Abandoned Auto Shop

UPDATED: Demolition of an abandoned auto shop, long an eyesore along New York Avenue, was begun Friday as part of the revitalization plan for Huntington Station.

With a bit of fanfare before the machine moved in, Town Supervisor Frank Petrone and others spoke about the building at 1000 New York Avenue, which the town acquired last year through eminent domain after it had sat empty for a decade. 

Council members Susan Berland, Mark Mayoka and Mark Cuthbertson also spoke.

“Today’s action puts us on the fast track to redeveloping this parcel. We have eliminated this symbol of area blight, and look forward to creative proposals from developers who see the potential this location has for commercial development,”  Petrone said.

Petrone announced the issuance of a request for proposals, with a May 25 deadline, in an effort to rebuild the area. The RFP offers two options for potential developers: submit a proposal for building the 10,800-square foot mixed-use building – making the project eligible for reimbursement of construction costs up to $1.07 million-- or submit another proposal for a commercial building, for which applicability of the grant money is possible but not certain. The RFP notes, “The ideal redevelopment should include neighborhood friendly and/or convenience retail uses that attract patronage of the businesses and enjoyment of the adjacent pedestrian plaza.”

Numerous people came to watch the teardown begin, including Joe Montefusco who hurried to the scene after someone in the neighborhood alerted him to the demolition. He said that though he hadn't owned the property, he had operated the shop for nearly four decades before moving his shop north on New York Avenue.

"There's a lot of emotion right now," he said as the walls came crumbling down. "It saddens me to see the way it (the area) went," he said.

The redevelopment  is part of a bigger plan that includes the town’s construction of a pedestrian plaza in front of the parcel at New York Avenue and Olive Street. The town secured a $1.17 million State Restore NY Communities grant to assist in the demolition and construction of a 10,800-square foot mixed-use, retail and residential building.