Projects in Town of Alden on hold after 'personnel change' with building inspector

ALDEN, N.Y. (WIVB) -- People in the Town of Alden are pushing back after officials told them to bring any construction projects on their property to a halt.

The Town of Alden board sent out a letter to residents and commercial property owners and said that due to a change in personnel, inspections can be done through the Village of Alden. However, affected residents tell WIVB News 4 that it's not that simple.

"I just don't even know how you can tell someone who just spent that kind of money and time and effort to build up a house to take it down," one resident said.

In the letter, residents were informed that all open permit files are being reviewed. A resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she learned of this issue after reaching out for help on her project.

"When we reached out to have them come out for our next phase of our project, we were told there was a change in staffing and that an employee was no longer with them and [they] directed us to the Village of Alden instead of the Town," she said.

She said village leaders let her know the only way they could allow the project to move forward was if the completed work was torn down and started over.

"They don't want to risk anything on their end, which is understandable," the resident said. "But the only other option they provided if we didn't want to dig everything up is to just wait for the Town of Alden to just figure out their side of things."

She said more than 160 people, with projects ranging from work on a patio to building a new house, are now in a holding pattern.

In a statement, Alden Town Supervisor Colleen Pautler said the town is committed to ensuring that all construction is fully compliant with codes and procedures. When pressed for further details on how this happened, and what it means for residents, Pautler told WIVB News 4 she could not comment on particular circumstances of individual property owners.

For now, it's unclear when a new town building inspector will be hired. The position is noted as 'currently vacant' on the town's website.

"Some people are at the very tail-end of their project where they're ready to close up shop and be done, and looking for a certificate of occupancy that they just built a brand-new home," the resident said. "[Now] they're being told that's going to have to come all down."

The resident we spoke with said she has already poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into her project.

Many residents are now looking into getting legal help as this situation plays out.