Demolition underway at troublesome Schley Ave. property
BY ALEX MITCHELL
A longtime Throggs Neck
eyesore is fi nally headed for a
landfi ll.
The decrepit one-family
home at 3011 Schley Avenue,
which has been housing rats
and mosquitoes, will soon be
replaced by a brand new 2-family
brick house
The current delapidated
frame structure, which was
condemned by the NYC Department
of Buildings, began
deteriorating 10 years ago under
James Mau’s ownership.
Mau, an absentee owner,
fought an uphill battle to maintain
the home on the belowgrade
parcel despite enduring
chronic fl ooding, which resulted
in a basement and backyard
that was reminescent of
the Louisiana bayou.
According to neighbors the
property’s basement and backyard
often sat under at least a
foot of water and emitted a foul
odor, while also serving as a
mosquito breeding ground.
“It languished for years
as an eyesore to the community,”
said Lynn Gerbino of
the Throggs Neck Homeowners
association. “Neighbors
couldn’t even use their back-
yards because it was like a
swamp back there,” Gerbino
added, mentioning that because
of the property’s low
grade water would inadvertently
run off onto neighboring
properties.
The weed-infested backyard
needed a sump pump
running 24/7 to drain the
swamp-like fi eld, she said.
While that sparsely developed
portion of Schley Avenue
doesn’t have too many homes,
the homeowners on adjacent
Hollywood and Logan avenues,
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 14 ECEMBER 21-27, 2018 BTR
felt the ramifi cations of
the property’s demise.
“The property faced trespassing
too,” said Community
Board 10 district manager
Matt Cruz. He, along with the
area’s elected offi cials, had
been working with the city to
devise a plan to rehabilitate
the property.
The foreclosure process
on the property was a lengthy
one because it was diffi cult to
track down the last owner. Besides,
there was little left to
salvage, Cruz said.
“After some years we realized
(the house) was beyond
rehabbing,” Cruz added.
It was around that time
when Eric Totaram purchased
the Fannie Mae mortgaged
property in a foreclosure auction.
Having purchased 3011
Schley Avenue at the end of
2017, sight unseen, he was unaware
of its poor condition or
the neighbors’ ongoing frustrations.
Totaram immediately
fenced off the property to prevent
trespassing.
Totaram started razing the
offensive structure as soon as
he acquired a demolition permit.
He estimates the property
to be fully demolished by
Christmas the absolute latest.
“I’m not going to let it sit
like other property owners
(did),” Totaram said.
His plan is to replace the
eyesore with a two-family
home. Plans for the new detached
brick house are still in
the approval process, but Totaram
has high hopes.
“This is the most progress
that neighbors have seen in a
decade down here,” he said.
“We hope to have earned their
trust and give the area something
nice and give these
neighbors their backyards
back too,” the responsible
property owner added.
As far as winning over the
community goes, Gerbino is
fully on board with the plan.
“This would be wonderful for
the neighborhood,” she said.
The house at 3011 Schley Avenue was demolished on Tuesday, December 4.
Schneps Community News Group/ Alex Mitchell