The Village of Flower Hill Board of Trustees approved a new local law regulating private sports courts, debated revisions to landscaping rules aimed at improving pedestrian safety, and adopted changes to fencing regulations during its Monday, Nov. 3, meeting.
The board unanimously passed a new local law, which amends Chapter 212 of the village code to update regulations for tennis and other sports courts, including newer paddle and pickleball courts.
“Our village code does not adequately address the location and use of sports courts,” Mayor Randall Rosenbaum said, noting that the law aims to “prevent potential quality-of-life issues for neighbors.”
After passing the measure, the board turned to a lengthy and sometimes spirited debate over another local law, which seeks to restrict plantings within four feet of the road right-of-way to improve sightlines and safety for pedestrians and drivers.
The proposal drew differing views from trustees and residents about how to balance safety and property concerns.
“The right balance is safety — 100% safety,” said Rosenbaum, pointing to the village’s lack of sidewalks and the need for clear walking areas.
Trustee AJ Smith countered Rosenbaum, “You’re choosing one form of safety over another. The people who live at the bottom of hills have actual concerns,” referencing residents who plant hedges to protect homes from cars.
The discussion, which ran for over an hour, touched on visibility at corners, exceptions for mature trees, and how to handle existing landscaping.
Rosenbaum stressed that the intent was not punitive but practical: “This is not about removing all shrubs or trees. It’s to give our code enforcers the ability to work with homeowners to make a safe spot for people.”
Village counsel said the law could be revised to focus on “obstructions” rather than simply “plantings,” clarifying that enforcement would target situations “creating unsafe conditions” rather than isolated bushes or trees.
After agreeing to refine the wording, the board voted to table the proposal until its Dec. 8 meeting.
The board later passed another local law aimed at eliminating a decades-old provision that allowed “decorative fences” in front yards with special approval from the trustees.
Rosenbaum said the law had been misinterpreted in recent years by residents seeking to install gates and fences in front of their homes.
“I truly believe that when this part of the code was written 20 years ago, it was meant for post-and-rail fences — not what’s happening now,” Rosenbaum said. The change means any future requests for front-yard fencing must go through the zoning board of appeals.
In other business, the board discussed a local law which would formally codify no-parking zones along Port Washington Boulevard near St. Francis Hospital.
Trustees said that “the signs have been there for decades,” but were never included in the village code, making them unenforceable. A public hearing on the proposal will be held Dec. 8.
The meeting also included the unveiling of a new village logo, featuring three dogwood flowers to represent Flower Hill’s three neighborhoods.
“We wanted something clean, easy to read, and meaningful,” Rosenbaum said, praising the design’s simplicity and symbolism.
The board also set the next village election for March 18, 2026, and appointed a new alternate member to the zoning board.
Rosenbaum also said the village is taking part in The Daffodil Project, a worldwide initiative that aims to build a living Holocaust Memorial by planting 1.5 million daffodils in memory of the children who died in the Holocaust and for the children suffering in humanitarian crises. The village will be planting 500 bulbs.
The next Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Mon., Dec. 8.
