Abandoned Fresh Meadows House Sold At Public Auction

Queens, NY – An abandoned Fresh Meadows home that drew the ire of neighbors and community groups alike finally has a new owner, Senator Tony Avella has learned. The sale of the property, located at 50-19 175^th Place, was finalized at the end of February. 

In October, Senator Avella announced that the Queens County Public Administrator had been appointed administrator of the abandoned property that plagued the Queens neighborhood for the past decade. The property was auctioned by the Public Administrator in December and the sale closed in late February. 

Senator Avella first became aware of this property in the summer of 2015 when a neighbor requested his assistance. When the home’s owner, Stella Beckman, passed away, the house quickly fell into disrepair. Her son Franklin was named the administrator of the property but, with his whereabouts unknown, the property continued to decline. The abandoned house had a caved in roof, overgrown vegetation, a raccoon infestation, and had derelict cars in the driveway filled with debris. The neighborhood had become increasingly alarmed that the property was becoming a haven for drug use and drug trafficking. 

After months of circuitous conversations with various City agencies to try and get the property cleaned or repaired, and over 100 hours of work put in by Senator Avella’s staff, there was finally good news to be had when the Public Administrator was able to step in and get this property cleaned and sold. 

“I am extremely happy to be able to tell the community today that as a result of the relentless efforts of my office and the incredible help of the Public Administrator that this property is no longer going to haunt the community. Being able to get this house sold will certainly go a long way in returning a better quality of life to the neighbors who had to live with this hazardous property on their block. I hope that this sale can also set a precedent for the control and auction of the many other zombie properties that haunt communities across the City,” said Senator Tony Avella.