Court Backs Clarkstown On 'Migrant Flophouse'

CLARKSTOWN, NY — A court has made a final ruling on the issue of an overcrowded single-family home on New Hempstead Road.

It was characterized in September as a "migrant flophouse" by Town Supervisor George Hoehmann.

The town's code enforcement effort, which officials called "unprecedented," included going to court to get a restraining order against the owner that ordered the home be vacated by all its tenants.

It started when town officials met two people who were diving for clothes in a second-hand drop-off bin near the bowling alley. They gathered enough evidence to obtain a search warrant. After what they found, they went to court.

More than 30 people were packed into the small Cape, including bedrooms in the attic and garage, under squalid circumstances, Hoehmann. He said some of the tenants said they had just arrived from New York City, some had plans to move on soon, and another 10 people were expected soon.

When it was discovered, U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler and Rockland County Executive Ed Day accused Mayor Eric Adams of involvement in a "pipeline" from NYC to Rockland, though they said they had no proof.

Town officials said as a result of their action they have received more tips on other properties — which they are looking into.

The town sued the owner of 295 New Hempstead Road in September, and Supreme Court Justice Thomas Zugibe issued a temporary restraining order against the owner.

Now he has ruled that the house may only be used as a single-family residence. The building department must grant approval before it is occupied again, and the town can inspect it at any time, News 12 reported.