Port Chester demands cleanup of fire-ravaged development site

The Village of Port Chester is trying to compel the owners of two downtown properties to demolish fire-ravaged buildings that it claims pose an imminent threat to the public.

The village petitioned Westchester Supreme Court on April 25 to order Mon Ami Takis Inc. and the estate of Huguette Sinis to secure and demolish buildings at 14 and 16 South Main St. that were gutted in an April 17 fire.

The long-vacant structures, according to the petition, pose risks of death, injury and more property damages.

Marie Sinis, who represents the estate and Mon Ami Takis, is willing to demolish the buildings, according to correspondence by her lawyer, Frank Streng, but wants to leave the removal of debris to a builder who has proposed a “wonderful planned development.”

The 4-story and 3-story buildings were erected in the 1850s. They are across the street from The Waterfront at Port Chester shops and theaters and a block away from the train station.

Hyperion Development Group, of Miami, has been assembling several properties on the block and plans to put up a $153 million, 12-story structure with 325 apartments, parking and retail space.

Hyperion has agreed to pay Mon Ami Takis Inc. and the Sinis estate more than $10 million for the two properties, according to an affidavit by village manager Stuart Rabin, in a deal that could close by the end of the year.

In 2021, the village had asked Westchester Supreme Court to order the removal of the building at 16 South Main St.  Justice Joan B. Lefkowitz denied the request, ruling that the village had not cited specific code violations, but she ordered the Sinis estate to secure the building and cease construction activities.

Both buildings had been declared unsafe for occupation before the fire, according to an inspection report by engineer Roberto Flores of Delaware Engineering D.P.C.

The damages were too extensive for Flores to inspect from inside, so he was hoisted from a fire department ladder truck with Fire Chief Angelo Sposta and Assistant Building Inspector Steven Velardo to inspect them from above.

The 3-alarm fire on April 17 left them structurally unsafe, Flores reported. Bricks and other debris have fallen onto the street. Bricks falling 48 feet from the taller building could kill or injure someone or cause a car accident. One of the buildings could collapse and winds of 30 miles an hour could drive debris onto the street and nearby buildings.

Flores recommended demolition and the removal of debris from the site.

The village has set up barricades and re-routed traffic, according to the petition, and assigned two patrol cars to guard the site around the clock.

On the day of the fire, the owners consented to the village demolishing the buildings at its own expense, according to the village’s petition.

Rabin depicts the offer as “nothing more than a gambit intended to continue to evade legal accountability and financial responsibility for these long-vacant and now fire-ravaged buildings.”

He noted that the owners stand to make a small fortune on selling the properties but “expect the taxpayers of Port Chester to foot the bill for demolition and cost to secure the area.”

On April 25, the owners agreed to pay for demolition if the village waived potential fines. But the village considers the debris an eyesore and wants it removed now, according to Streng’s correspondence, and that would increase the demolition estimate by as much as ten times.

The village is asking the court to order Mon Ami Takis and the Sinis estate to demolish and remove the buildings from the site, reimburse the village for securing the site, and block the owners from selling the properties until they reimburse the village.

A hearing is scheduled for May 5 before Justice Nancy Quinn.