OAKWOOD — The demolition arm of the city working to recover property ravaged by Hurricane Sandy is poised to tear down three homes in Staten Island without the owners' consent that have been deemed "an immediate hazard to public safety."
In what the city characterized as a last-ditch effort to reach the owners, a public notice went out on Saturday posting the addresses of three houses that had not been claimed but needed to go.
"We have made every effort to reach these homeowners, but have been unable," said Peter Spencer, spokesman for the Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery.
In the notice, the city states "it plans to enter onto private property to conduct demolitions" of the severely damaged private homes.
The homes are located at:
► 106 Fox Beach Avenue, in Oakwood
► 68 Tarlton Street, in Oakwood
► 708 Liberty Avenue, in Dongan Hills
Homeowners of the three private homes had 72 hours from the date of the release — or until Tuesday morning, February 5 — to contact the Depatment of Buildings at (212) 676-2858 to issue any objections.
According to a relative of the Fox Beach Avenue homeowner, the owners were already speaking to the Department of Buildings. "He's been in contact with them," said a man whose brother lived in one of the houses. Home phone numbers were not found for the other two owners based on web searches Saturday.
The first city demolitions of private homes that were ruined by Sandy began January 14, in Staten Island. Residents did not have to pay for the city to demolish their homes, and the city's decision to demolish homes are not based on red tags that have been given by the DOB over the past several months.
In most cases, the city receives written consent from homeowners after consulting them with regards to the demolition, Spencer said.
An estimated 300 homes citywide faced demolition following the damage left behind by the storm.
