Time for action in Gibson

There’s little argument that the row of vacant stores on Gibson Boulevard has become the worst eyesore in Valley Stream. The property is a constant target for vandals, and there seems to be little hope that the situation will improve anytime soon.

The property has been the source of controversy for about six years. Dr. Leonard Bleicher, of Hewlett Harbor, came before the Board of Zoning Appeals in 2005 with a plan to build a 41-unit, three-story condominium complex. After some revisions and much community opposition, the BZA approved a 35-unit building. Then the court challenges began. Then the housing market crashed.

Fast forward to 2011, and nothing has been built — not even the revised 39-unit apartment building the BZA OK’d for Bleicher last year. All of the leases finally expired for every business in the two-building strip mall, and now the property sits empty.

While several neighbors were opposed to the housing project mostly because of density and setbacks, others welcomed the change. But whether they were for or against it, everyone on Gibson Boulevard is now stuck with a blighted property.

Village officials have stepped up their effort to do something, trying to arrange financing for Bleicher’s apartment building through the Nassau County Office of Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs. Allowing Bleicher to build his already approved project would be the quickest way to eliminate the blight. Still nothing.

A Freedom of Information request by the Herald revealed that Bleicher recently received three citations from the village. Two, issued on July 20 by the Code Enforcement department, were for broken windows, cited as safety hazards. A third, issued by the fire inspector, was for Bleicher’s failure to remove combustible material inside the buildings.

Numerous other summonses were issued, as far back as 2004, for rolls of carpet left on the property, boarded-up windows, excessive weeds, holes in the building, propane tanks on the property and hanging gutters. That was back when some stores were still in business there.

According to village court records, Bleicher pleaded guilty to those summonses and paid a total of $1,725 in fines.

But the stores continue to be vandalized. A few weeks ago, two windows on the Muller Place side were broken, and the glass sat there for several days before the village finally sent in its own crews to board up the windows. The back of the building is covered in blotches of black paint, covering graffiti.

Nassau County police and the village’s Public Safety, Code Enforcement and Auxiliary Police officers constantly monitor the property. But they can’t be there 24 hours a day. Those agencies are funded by taxpayers, and it shouldn’t be taxpayers’ responsibility to pay for security for private property. Besides, the village and police have other areas to patrol.

There are several safety issues that need to be addressed. Several windows have been broken and boarded up from the inside, leaving broken glass right along the sidewalk. Some windows are intact and have not been boarded up. Although village code prohibits buildings from being boarded up except in an emergency, an exception should be made here. Bleicher should be ordered to board up every window and door, from the outside, so the property is secure.

It should also be fenced off. There have been too many complaints about people loitering there, especially at night, when most of the vandalism has occurred. It might not be the most attractive look, but it would go a long way in the name of safety.

If Bleicher doesn’t plan to build anything on the property, then we hope he will sell the land as quickly as possible. The approval process for another development would take time, and we would like to see it start as soon as possible, because Gibson residents have already waited long enough.

The village has stepped up to try and get something going on the property, but it doesn’t own the land, so there is little it can do beyond continuing to ask the owner for repairs and issuing summonses when they aren’t made. It’s time for Bleicher to step up as well. We understand that he may lack motivation after several residents challenged him in court, but those who welcomed the project are being punished as well. He needs to secure his property and make a decision about its future. Otherwise he will continue to be known as the owner of the village’s biggest eyesore and residents will continue to suffer.