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Town Board authorizes securing unsafe property at 874 Riverside Drive after inspector account
Summary
After repeated inspections and reports of break-ins and utility shutoffs, the Town of Union Board voted unanimously to authorize Code Enforcement to secure and placard 874 Riverside Drive and require the owner to submit an abatement plan before regaining access.
Supervisor Robert Mack and the Town Board voted unanimously Feb. 26 to authorize the Town Code Enforcement Department to secure and placard 874 Riverside Drive in Johnson City after a Code Enforcement presentation describing ongoing safety hazards.
Building Inspector Thomas Paden summarized the department’s inspections beginning Sept. 16, 2024, saying the water was shut off for nonpayment and that inspectors posted the property as unfit for human occupancy on Sept. 27. Paden told the board that inspectors saw evidence of people continuing to enter the building on multiple re-inspections, found damage consistent with forced entry and theft, and were later informed NYSEG had shut off gas and electric service. He asked the board for authorization to board up openings and otherwise secure the property to eliminate the public-safety risk.
Deputy Town Attorney Mark Spinner noted the owner, Felicita Wong, had been personally served with notice of violations and the Feb. 26 hearing but did not appear. Spinner said the owner would be notified of the board’s action and must present an abatement plan to regain access, and referenced Town Code Chapter 88 and the Property Maintenance Code of New York State as the legal framework for the action.
Councilman Thomas R. Augostini moved the prepared resolution authorizing immediate securing of the property; Councilman Frank J. Bertoni seconded. The board recorded the vote as "All yes," and the resolution was adopted.
The resolution directs Code Enforcement to placard and secure the building under Town of Union Code Chapter 88 and the state Property Maintenance Code. The board’s action is administrative: the owner may later present a remediation plan for the board to review before access is restored.
