Oyster Bay Creates “Zombie House Registry”

By Priya Persaud

The Town of Oyster Bay has launched an “Abandoned Property/Zombie Home Registry,” to identify and identify vacant houses that create an unsafe environment within the Town.

Currently, vacant homes, otherwise known as “zombie” homes, are a subject of high scrutiny on Long Island. Vacant houses can attract rodents, vagrants, drug dealing, crime, and create unsafe environments within residential areas.

Staff employed by the town are engaged in trying to identify, assess, and demolish those vacant homes. But the town is seeking the help of local residents to help identify additional vacant houses that might have been overlooked.

The Abandoned Property/Zombie Home Registry unveiled by the Town of Oyster Bay is an online site that allows residents to report vacant houses and properties in the neighborhood. “Zombie” homes are properties that have been vacant for an extended amount of time and are neglected.

“Protecting our suburban quality of life is a top priority for the Town Board. No community should be forced to deal with unmaintained and dangerous eyesores that serve as havens for squatters, rodents, and other such problems,” said Oyster Bay Town Councilman Lou Imbroto.

After a property had been identified as being a vacant house, Code Enforcement Officers will inspect the land and the Town will, then, try to restore the property to a livable standard.

“The objective of the Town’s Zombie House Program is to ensure the Town of Oyster Bay continues to be a highly desirable community to live, work, and raise a family,” stated Supervisor Joseph Saladino.