Politics & Government

Flanders Homeowner Cited in Third Code Crackdown

The owner of the property, 52 Priscilla Avenue, was cited for 15 different charges, including overcrowding.

A Flanders homeowner has been charged with multiple town building code violations for the third time in 2011, according to a statement from Southampton town.

The property, located at 52 Priscilla Avenue, was cited for overcrowding in addition to a lack of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors after an investigation at 6:45 Thursday morning revealed the violations. The property's $5,710 in taxes are also late, officials said.

If guilty, the property owner could face fines totaling thousands of dollars. Some of the charges could be dropped if the violations are taken care of before the owner's scheduled appearance. This, according to town Legislative Aide Ryan Horn, encourages the accused to come into compliance.

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"That's really what the goal is," Horn said. "The purpose of actions like this is not to put anyone in jail or make money. The objective here is to bring properties into compliance to make them safe."

The property was first investigated on March 11 for alleged residential code violations. Police, fire marshals and code enforcement officials found 15 roll-off dumpsters stored on the property with other receptacles found on adjourning public lands owned by the Town. Police reportedly also found a route sheet for a garbage removal company that was operating illegally out of the home.

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The property, which is zoned in a residential area, was home to several other "commercial enterprises," including an illegal transfer station, masonry, landscaping and carting businesses, Horn said.  

Horn said the officials approached the owner about the March 11 violations, who swore to correct the problems.

"The owner had expressed a willingness to bring the property into compliance, which he started to do based on the reports I got," Horn said. "However after a certain period of time, there were additional complaints from neighbors."

Officials returned to the house on July 28, which is when they discovered signs of further home violations. Police obtained a search warrant, which was served to the property Thursday morning.

Horn added that overcrowding is a common problem throughout the town, though this case was unique due to the amount businesses operating illegally from the property. Those commercial violations ultimately convinced officials to pursue further action against the owner.


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