Town Sets Public Hearings on Illegal Rental Housing Issues

Attention homeowners, landlords, students and others with an interest in the illegal housing debate: Brookhaven officials have decided to hold public hearings on several code changes related to the issues at hand.

The town board voted unanimously to set the hearings for April 23 at its regular town board meeting, which will begin at 5 p.m. at Town Hall in Farmingville. The public hearings portion of the meeting generally begins at 6:30 p.m.

According to The Village Times Herald, hearings will cover the following proposed code amendments:

• Increasing the fines levied against property owners who violate town code;
• Limiting the amount of front lawn space that can be paved;
• Clarifying the definitions of "dwelling" and "single- or one-family homes."

Supervisor Ed Romaine recently announced the development of these changes at a press conference in Stony Brook, one of the hamlets where many illegal college boarding houses have popped up.