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The Rockland County Office of Buildings and Codes closed the club that operated a night out of Sharp Shirt Printing at 42 Grove Street in Spring Valley, the department said.
This location operated as Sharp Shirt Printing by day but charged admission for illegal parties by night, which included dancers, alcohol, and hookahs, the department added.
The office received a complaint about the illegal club and inspectors worked with the Spring Valley Police Department to shut it down on Saturday, Feb. 26, with about 100 people both in and outside of the club at the time, officials said.
The tenant throwing the party is known to authorities and has been cited twice since August 2021 but failed to appear for their court appearances, officials added.
Due to the ongoing lack of compliance, the department is in the process of citing the property owner with at least 10 violations including a violation of use and occupancy, operating without a construction permit, and no means of egress due to blocked exits.
“As I’ve said repeatedly, we will be ensuring strict enforcement of New York state building and fire code within the Village of Spring Valley, and shutting down this illegal club is a prime example of that," said Rockland County Executive Ed Day.
Day added that during his time as a former police commander, he remember an arson fire that broke out in the unlicensed Bronx club Happy Land in 1990, killing 87 people, and will do everything in his power to stop a tragedy of that magnitude from happening in Rockland County.
As of Monday, Feb. 28, the department had conducted 54 inspections and continues to enforce a 30-day moratorium which ends March 15, on any new permit applications.
The moratorium allows the office to work through the backlog of outstanding inspections and resolve issues that pose an imminent threat to the life, health, and safety of Rockland County residents, the department said.
“We are continuing to tackle the outstanding inspections within Spring Valley as quickly as possible which we have been prioritizing based on safety concerns,” said Office of Buildings and Codes Director Ed Markunas.
The office requests all interested parties submit complaints by calling 845-364-3700 or emailing BuildingsAndCodes@co.rockland.ny.us.
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