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Planning and zoning reports permit revenue uptick and stepped‑up follow‑up at Springfield Gardens
Summary
DeWitt planning and zoning staff told the town board the office has grown from one to five full‑time employees this year, reported permit and revenue totals, and described intensified follow‑up on tenant complaints at Springfield Gardens after meetings with a tenants association and a HUD inspection.
DeWitt — Planning and zoning staff told the DeWitt Town Board on Monday that the office has expanded staffing and that permit activity and enforcement follow‑up have both increased since April.
The planning and zoning speaker said the office increased full‑time staff from one to five employees and added an environmental planner and a new code enforcement officer who is in training and is expected to be certified in September. The office reported issuing 178 permits since April 1, generating “a little over $410,000” in revenue; board applications numbered 29 with roughly $34,000 in revenue; and a subset referred to the code board of appeals (CBA) included six applications generating about $5,000.
Staff said they received 66 complaints in the reported period and completed 94 fire inspections covering 80 businesses, eight restaurants, three hotels and three apartment buildings. The department has referred 10 properties to the county (referred to as "coin" in the transcript) at an expense of about $2,800; staff said eight of those properties have been closed so far.
Springfield Gardens: staff said they met with the tenants association on June 20, left complaint forms and encouraged residents to report issues. From Jan. 1 to June 20 the office received four complaints from Springfield Gardens; since the June 20 meeting they received eight more. Staff said they performed a New York State Fire and Property Management inspection July 11 and that the manager provided photos of fixes for most violations; remaining items have been given additional time and staff will follow up. Staff also said they obtained a HUD inspection report and offered to share it with board members.
Why it matters: The added staff and the increased responsiveness to tenant complaints aim to improve building code enforcement and tenant confidence that the town will follow up on complaints. Springfield Gardens tenants told the board they appreciated direct contact with codes staff and said it encouraged more complaints to be filed.
Discussion and next steps: Board members and staff said they will continue follow‑up, fill potholes noted by tenants and monitor compliance with required repairs. Staff characterized the department as “almost fully functional” and said one additional full‑time code officer would be useful to handle caseloads.
