News

VIDEO: 620 Second Street in Greenport Village demolished

The controversial fire-damaged house at 620 Second Street in Greenport Village was demolished Tuesday morning, nearly three years and nine months after the fire that destroyed the North Fork Housing Alliance home.

Claudia Helinski, who lives across the street, said demolition started about 7 a.m.

“Watching it was amazing,” said Ms. Helinski, who owns Salamander’s downtown. “When they first touched it, the whole thing started to rock.”

Greenport Village building inspector Eileen Wingate said the housing alliance, a Greenport-based group that finds affordable housing for low-income residents, obtained a building permit Monday to knock the house down.

NFHA has owned the house since 1993. It also owns the property next door at 618 Second St. The home on that site also burned in the August 2008 blaze and was subsequently demolished.

Last month, the village Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board held a joint public hearing to discuss a pending plan to replace the 620 Second St. house.

Ms. Wingate said those public hearings were left opened. The ZBA will discuss NFHA’s variance requests May 16. The planning board will review the site plan May 31.

NFHA is looking to reposition the house, placing it farther back from the street in order to create a parking area in the front yard.

NFHA director Tanya Palmore wasn’t immediately available for comment.

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JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | The blighted house at 620 Second St. in Greenport Village was demolished Tuesday morning.