Springs residents listen as Dave Buda makes a point at a meeting held in the Springs School library Tuesday night to discuss concerns about the East Hampton Town Board's plan to revise its accessory apartment law. KYRIL BROMLEY PHOTOS
Houses cordoned off into private apartments; groups of people sleeping on mattresses laid out in basements; front and back yards turned into parking lots; and, above all else, ballooning school taxes.
Those are some of the complaints Springs residents detailed in a series of interviews last week—accounts that were corroborated by public officials—following an East Hampton Town Board meeting last month at which residents aired their frustrations, in broad strokes, over illegal housing and a burgeoning population in their hamlet, and urged government action.
The feeling has not subsided since then. Last week, frustrated residents said they planned to meet at the Springs School library on Tuesday, January 18, to mount a strategy. Some said they planned to bring lists of homes they suspected of violating zoning rules, which call for only... more
Those are some of the complaints Springs residents detailed in a series of interviews last week—accounts that were corroborated by public officials—following an East Hampton Town Board meeting last month at which residents aired their frustrations, in broad strokes, over illegal housing and a burgeoning population in their hamlet, and urged government action.
The feeling has not subsided since then. Last week, frustrated residents said they planned to meet at the Springs School library on Tuesday, January 18, to mount a strategy. Some said they planned to bring lists of homes they suspected of violating zoning rules, which call for only... more
If there are five or six (or more) cars in the driveway/lawn of a home it is perfectly reasonable for the town to investigae/ask questions. If neighbors submit complaints concerning suspicous illegal housing then in fact its the Towns obligation ...more to investigate. If the living situation is legal then there's nothing to hide and there are no grounds for a lawsuit.
The laws are already on the books after being carefully considered. Enforce them - hows that for "...some kind of idea[s]."
You are fortunate not to have had this situation on your block/behind your house, because if you did you would be upset and not an apologist for these landlords and the towns lack of enforcement.
Based on the bobble heads from Amagansett who were at the town board meeting several weeks ago to complain about the music festival and sat there and shook their heads in agreement with the Springs people who were discussing the housing and school issue they (the Amamgansett ACAC politicos) just may be willing to take over some of the town tax burden from Springs taxpayers that is if there head bobbles were sincere and not just theatre to show disdain for the Republican Town Board.
I ...more haven't heard one Board member or paper voice concern for the retired senior who is being forced to put their home up for sale in a down market becausse they can no longer afford to live and pay taxes here. Where is the sympathy for them?
Where is the concern for volunteer firefighters who have to risk their lives to fight fires in overcrowded houses. This is an issue of illegal overcrowding and anyone who wants to use my name and call me racist is nasty, wrong and offensive. You are the person showing bias!
Sorry to be the one to break it to you.
If what you claim is true, then why shouldn't we allow the strains to be lessened by this very modest acc apartment proposal that would go far in allowing acc apartment to surface legally? Why shouldn't we have fairer taxes by ending landlords from getting away scott free from paying taxes on illegal apts? When Babylon, LI had an amnesty for non-conforming apts., 478 people stood in line to make theirs legal. Some say it only rewards illegality like the yearly library amnesty on overdue ...more books encourages irresponsible citizens to not pay library fines.
Nonsense, it gets back books and it made landlords pay their fair share. Police invasions of homes and code enforcement has not worked for 25 yrs even with McGintee quadrupling code enforcement. The 2 people I know w/ illegal apts are adamently opposed to the proposed Acc Apt laws. They don't want the present situation messed with.
Immigrants, illegal or otherwise, came here to satisfy an insatiable appetite for cheap labor. They came here because they were lured by the promise of work and, in the good times, there was plenty of work and these immigrants did their fair share and did it well when many business would have gone under were it not for their presence here.
Most ...more of them were paid below the prevailing wage, others were abused or not paid at all, while even more were willing to take whatever job was handed them. And yes, many had to share housing and live in less than desirable conditions in order to scrape by and save money in the hopes of one day becoming a citizen and reuniting with their families. Immigrant workers come here at great personal risk and face hardships and heartbreaks that most of us will thankfully never know. Study after study shows that they are a net plus to our economy, contributing upwards of 25 billion dollars to a social security program in which they will never be eligible to participate.
They did not bring their children here with them - they left their families behind. They did not have "anchor babies" so they could stay because, even though the child is a natural born citizen, what parent would have a baby so that they could wait 21 years for that baby to help them become citizens?
Some who have been here for 10 and 12 years as productive members of society, the majority of whom paid taxes in the hope of one day becoming a citizen, had children and we, as a caring, just, and noble nation have educated their children as we always have and hopefully always will.
The Hispanic population has become an easy scapegoat for so many because it is so much easier to attack the helpless than it is to dig deep and solve the greater issues.
While they are HERE, who is fighting to have what was fought for on American soil?
I have always respected your opinion, but they would risk their very lives, one way, or the other.