Hewlett Bay Park considers building freeze

To ensure that this next update of its building and zoning codes received the proper amount of review, the Village of Hewlett Bay Park is considering enacting a moratorium on building in the nearly half-mile sized village.

A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, July 25 at 6 p.m. in village hall at 30 Piermont Ave., in Hewlett to discuss the building freeze that could last up to 60 days, Village Mayor Steve Kaufman said.

“We are always reviewing and changing our building codes, as times change, people change what they want to do with a house,” said Kaufman, who noted the village hired an architect to assist with the possible changes to the code.

Not being able to get everything done at the previous meeting and wanting to get it right are the reasons Kaufman gave for possibly enacting the moratorium. “We don’t want to confuse people, we want it to be clear,” he said. “We are a village of 140 homes, it’s not like we are getting thousands of applications per day.”

The proposed building freeze only affects new home construction and renovations that are 50 percent or more of a house’s full area. Revisions to the village’s existing building and zoning codes will focus on building height and setbacks (the distance from a curb, property line or another structure where building is prohibited).

“There is no intention on part of the village to discourage anyone from making an application,” Kaufman said. “We want to accomplish this without hurting anyone.”

According to the 2010 Census Hewlett Bay Park has 404 residents. It is also ranks in the top 20 nationwide for highest income with a median household income of more than $200,000.