Crackdown On Home Used For Short Term Rentals, Parties: Town

SPRINGS, NY — East Hampton Town has cracked down on a home for "improper commercial use", listed as a "secret location" for parties where admission was charged and prime seats by the pool, plus bottle service, could cost another $5,000, according to officials.

East Hampton Town officials said they sought a court order on Wednesday to halt the improper use of a 10,000-square-foot residence at 145 Neck Path in Springs for "hotel-like rentals, promoters’ parties, product launches, photo shoots," a release from Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc's office said.

On Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Vincent Martorana signed a temporary restraining order to keep the owner, manager, and other individuals with an interest in a commercial use of the property from using the single-family residence as a motel, as a share house, renting without registration on the town’s rental registry, or any commercial operation or other non-residential activity, the town said.

According to East Hampton Town officials, the property has been seen listed on real-estate rental sites with individual bedrooms for rent for any period of time, and, most recently, with the entire house offered for $2,700 per night.

The home, the town said, "was described as being able to accommodate 20 overnight guests and, at one point, as containing common areas shared by guests and being run as a 'small boutique hotel,' with a house manager and butlers on premises. It has also been identified as the 'secret location' of parties being advertised by promoters who would charge an admission fee and additional fees of up to $5,000 for reserved spots poolside and bottle service," town officials said.

The promoters also offered bus service to the location with pickups and drop-offs in several metro New York locations, Van Scoyoc's release said.

One party that had been advertised a scheduled for August was to have admitted "only those guests who dressed in white swimwear. Another would have required those interested in attending their event to go through a vetting process," the town said.

The all-glass and steel house, being advertised for sale at $3.9 million, is reportedly owned by Juan Figueroa, the person behind the multimillion-dollar restoration and transformation into an event space of the Williamsburg Savings Bank building in Brooklyn, of which he was a co-owner, the town said.

“The misuse of residential properties in this way has clear negative impacts on neighbors that cannot be allowed to continue — from noise and late-night disruption to overcrowding, stress on overloaded septic systems, and other environmental impacts,” said Van Scoyoc. “East Hampton Town’s residential areas are not ‘open for business’ and available to those who wish to make a quick profit on summertime events at the expense of our residents.”

He added: “Our enforcement team is monitoring additional residential and commercial properties that may be being misused, and we will take similar action to shut them down if necessary."

Charges related to the issues at the home are being prepared, the town said.

The town’s success in obtaining a court injunction to prevent further improper activities at the residence and protect the neighborhood from disruption is the result of a coordinated effort between the East Hampton Town Police Department, ordinance enforcement department, the town attorney’s office, and the East Hampton town board, the town said.

Attempts to reach Figueroa for comment were not immediately successful.