Tempers flared this week as at least one village resident demanded answers about rental properties in Greenport.
Resident Bill Swiskey stood up at Monday’s village board meeting to ask about recent rental activity in the village that he said is not regulated.
“One guy is advertising 12 beds above a restaurant and no sprinkler system,” he said.
But a former resident, he said, wanted an apartment over his gallery on Main Street and the village “almost drove him out of town.”
Swiskey said he’d read the new village rental code and it’s “quite strict. Does this board intend to take action?”
Greenport Village Mayor David Nyce said he’d already taken action but added that the rental code applied to year-round, not transient rentals. He said he’d asked Village Administrator Paul Pallas to look into airbnb.com and other vacation rental sites to see “exactly what we can and cannot regulate, and when our code does and does not apply.”
Swiskey said the rental code did discuss transient rentals, for those renting for less than a month.
“Transient seasonal rentals are exempt from the code,” Nyce said.
“This is unbelievable to me. I read the code,” Swiskey said.
“Read it again,” Nyce responded.
“I will read it, and give you a copy,” Swiskey told the mayor.
“I have a copy; read it again,” Nyce said.
“This sounds like the village is picking and choosing,” Swiskey said.
Nyce said the board was not picking and choosing. The board adopted the code and “is enforcing it to the full letter of the law,” he said.
“I’d like some straight answers,” Swiskey said.
“That’s as straight an answer as you’re going to get,” Nyce said.
Swiskey then addressed the mayor, mispronouncing his last name.
“You know my last name is Nyce and you can start pronouncing it as Nyce or I’ll start playing with yours,” the mayor said.
Swiskey then peppered the board about questions about why the village hired a new code enforcement officer who was from Southold, not Greenport.
“We hired the appropriate person,” Nyce said.
