BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – The City of Binghamton has issued a lockdown warning letter to the owner of an alleged after-hours club at 27 Downs Ave. in the First Ward.
Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham has deemed the property a public nuisance under the City’s Property and Building Nuisance Reform Law, commonly known as the “lockdown law.”
The warning letter sets the legal grounds to close the property if the owners don’t abide by the law.
“Illegal after-hours clubs attract criminal activity and drag down neighborhood quality of life,” said Mayor Kraham. “Since bringing back the lockdown law, the City has been able to deliver long-awaited results to residents living near serious problem properties. It’s another tool to stop nuisance activity and safeguard the integrity of our neighborhoods.”
Under the lockdown law, points are assigned to properties for different types of nuisance activity, with more serious crimes receiving higher point values. A building is deemed to be a public nuisance if it accumulates 12 or more points in a six-month period or 18 or more points in a 12-month period, triggering a warning letter from the City to the property owner.
27 Downs Ave. has been assigned 24 lockdown points since last July:
- Assault – 12 points
- Dog Attack – 4 points
- General Disturbance – 4 points
- Noise Ordinance – 2 points
- Noise Ordinance – 2 points
After receiving a lockdown warning letter, property owners have 30 days to meet with City officials, submit a corrective action plan, and abate the nuisance.
If an owner fails to do so, the City will file a complaint with City Court and ask for a temporary closing of the property.
