Office of Buildings and Codes Closes Illegal Properties

 The Rockland County Office of Buildings and Codes is investigating upwards of 19 violations at 35 Commerce Street, owned by Elegant Party Rental LLC., and 37 Commerce Street, owned by 37-39 Commerce LLC., in Spring Valley stemming from illegal construction.

The Office responded to a complaint for two structures that were constructed on the backend of neighboring commercial properties.  An investigation by inspectors found that these massive shed-like structures were illegally constructed, including unapproved electrical connections, without any permits and violations of the Uniform State Building Code as well as the local zoning code.

Both front-end commercial businesses were also discovered to have completed illegal interior construction without permits and inspectors learned 37 Commerce Street was not connected to Rockland County Sheriff’s Office 44-Control Fire Dispatch, a required emergency alarm system for commercial buildings.

“I’m angry that just weeks into taking over the Building Department in the Village of Spring Valley, we found a commercial property not connected to 44-control, our County’s Emergency Dispatch. It’s negligence like this that puts lives at risk, and I commend our new Office of Buildings and Codes for responding to this complaint quickly,” said County Executive Ed Day.  “Our message to the people of Rockland is clear and unambiguous, we will hold property owners like this accountable.”

Following the inspection, 37 Commerce has since been connected to 44-Control. Violations being investigated include Violation of Use, Violation of Occupancy and Unlawful Structure.As for the illegally constructed sheds, they are in violation and cannot be used or occupied. The property owners must apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) in the Village of Spring Valley for a variance. If approved, the owner would need to re-apply for building permits at the County Office of Buildings and Codes and then have the structures inspected to ensure they fully comply with the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention, Building, and Energy Codes.

“As I said before, we are operating this department with a zero-tolerance policy for code violations that pose an imminent threat to life, health, and safety of residents, visitors and first responders. I applaud the community members who are notifying my Office of Buildings and Codes of these hazardous conditions and urge them to continue to do so,” said Office of Buildings and Codes Director Ed Markunas.