Brookhaven Revokes Stony Brook Landlord's Renting License

Town of Brookhaven officials have reportedly revoked the license of a landlord they claim was renting a Stony Brook house to more than a dozen tenants attending Stony Brook University.

Town Supervisor Ed Romaine held a press conference on Tuesday during which he said at least 14 students were living in 14 bedrooms at a Christian Avenue home near the state university campus. The recent press conference, held at a Stony Brook Fire Department substation, is part of the Town's ongoing battle to maintain single-family dwellings and cut down on illegal apartments. 

In an article that appeared in Newsday, Romaine said the Christian Avenue home violated the town's law.

"The use of the house is not a single-family dwelling," Romaine is quoted in the article. "We will be taking action to keep that house from being used as a boardinghouse."

According to the article the landlord of the home was identified as North Shore Design Inc., of Mt. Sinai. The company's lawyer, Raymond Negron, said his client plans to appeal the decision to revoke their rental license by questioning its legality.

'Negron said town officials, at a hearing earlier this year, presented "absolutely no evidence . . . to substantiate any of the legal elements of the revocation process."

In the meantime, the tenants are permitted to stay in the home until the appeal process is over.

A number of residents in the neighborhoods near Stony Brook University have complained to the town of large student parties and an upsurge in litter at some of the rented homes.