Illegal Transfer Station Cited in Tuckahoe

Acting on a number of complaints, authorities swarmed a County Road 39 property in Tuckahoe on Friday, finding an illegal transfer station, illegal house rental and construction without a permit.

Police excuting a seach warrant found concrete and other construction and demolition debris in piles at 398 County Road 39, along with discarded oil tanks, batteries, septic equipment, excavating machines and commercial-sized storage containers, the Town of Southampton said in a statement . Several vehicles, which appeared to be inoperable, were at the parcel and at least two were parked near the roadside and advertised for sale.

The property owner, Mark Zucchero, will face the charges in in the coming weeks and the investigation remains open, according to the town.

“There are significant code violations at this property,” said Chief Town Investigator David Betts. “It was a complete commercial operation.”

Town officials had previously posted stop-work orders at the site, which were improperly removed, and a “notice of violation” was issued, according to the town. "Given the scope of operations, this time code enforcement also requested assistance from the town fire marshal’s office and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation."

The 4-acre site is zoned "highway business," which allows uses such as shops, restaurants, offices and certain personal services, the town noted. Betts reported that officers found five debris-filled dumpsters, each estimated to each hold several hundred cubic yards.

The town statement said the property also contained a 968-square-foot house, which was rented to at least two families with no rental permit and several safety violations, and attached to the home was an unlawful commercial repair shop.

Trees planted when the site was used for a retail nursery business shielded much of the illegal operations from view, according to the town.

“We are committed to ensuring that these kinds of flagrant public safety abuses are ended,” said town Councilwoman Nancy Graboski. “We will take all necessary measures to make sure landlords comply with the rules."

Southampton Town code enforcement . "Located in a residential area and adjacent to parkland, that parcel also contained a masonry business, landscaping operation, and makeshift carting facility," the town statement read. "The property’s owner, Frank Fisher, soon began efforts to bring the property into compliance"