For about 20 years, dozens of North Hempstead homeowners have been battling noncompliance with the town code due to previous corruption in the Building Department. Now under a new law change, these homeowners can be awarded the necessary permits even if they owe outstanding fees.
“This problem has been kicked down the road for nearly 20 years, with no relief being offered to these homeowners,” Council Member Ed Scott, who represents a large swath of affected homeowners, wrote in a statement. “The flexibility and discounted fee schedule we’ve designed with our buildings department puts an end to this headache. It lets homeowners finally obtain permits and certificates of occupancy for their homes that they rightfully deserve.”
The town board voted unanimously Nov. 19 to grant permits to homeowners who had been caught up in a Building Department scandal in the early 2000s, which had erroneously awarded certificates of occupancy for homes that violated the town code. The homes typically exceeded the size restrictions.
These permits, which are necessary to sell a home, will be awarded to a restricted group of homeowners.
Under the new law, homeowners would have to pay the remaining fees owed once the home is sold.
About 21 homes, with a majority located in the Roslyn Country Club, currently do not have a certificate of occupancy. Another 40 homeowners have already paid the fees to receive a certificate of occupancy.
The town board previously passed a law in July granting a 35% discount to homeowners who were given “erroneous” building permits from 2000-2006 for homes that exceeded town building codes.
This was the first remedy proposed to address the problem over the two decades since the corruption had been unveiled.
Deputy town attorney Debbie Algios previously said during the hearing for the July law that because some residents were involved in the corruption, the town did not want to reward individuals by removing fines entirely. She said the town would rather opt to incentivize them to make the homes legal.
A full discount was also avoided due to some homeowners already paying their fees in full.
At the time of the July law’s passing, multiple residents argued for even more relief to homeowners who were innocent amid the scheme. Town board members said further relief, as seen in the recent law change, would be granted in the future.
Homeowners have until August to file with the town to establish a payment plan and then two years to pay it off. Payment plans could amount to thousands of dollars a month.
Homeowners could also go through the zoning board for relief by requesting variances.
From the late 1990s through the early 2000s, town Building Department officials wrongfully issued certificates of occupancy to builders who constructed homes that exceeded what was permitted under the town code.
In 2007, multiple North Hempstead Building Department employees were arrested and later convicted after a 16-month corruption investigation. Many were charged with bribery.
That year homeowners in the Roslyn Country Club, as well as many others throughout the town, were informed that their certificates of occupancy were invalid due to these department employees’ actions.
This had left some homeowners unable to sell their homes during the 20 years and facing high costs to make their home fit the code, which could require tearing down parts of the home.
