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Rental board delays decision on Midwood Drive application after neighbor complaints; extends review to Feb. 26
Summary
The Town of Babylon Rental Board postponed a permit decision for a West Babylon property after neighbors and board members raised maintenance and tenant-screening concerns; the board voted to extend review to Feb. 26 for additional investigation.
The Town of Babylon Rental Board on Feb. 26 postponed action on an application for a Midwood Drive property in West Babylon after neighbors described repeated maintenance problems and disruptive tenants.
The delay came after the board heard testimony from the applicant’s representative and multiple neighbors about prior tenant behavior and unresolved property maintenance. Board member Mike Murray said the board needed more information and told the applicant, “So, we're not gonna approve this tonight. A little more digging into how things went has to be done.”
The applicant's representative, Sebastian McLaughlin, identified himself as appearing on behalf of his mother-in-law and said the property had been owned since February 2018. McLaughlin acknowledged prior problems, told the board the unit has been unoccupied for about a year and said the owners plan to “do a tenant screening and hire a company” going forward.
Neighbor Aaron Goldsboro, of 14 Ireland Place in West Babylon, described recurring disturbances and code-related problems he said persisted over multiple years, including noise, a long-neglected pool and property neglect. “It was, like, intense amount of noise, vulgar stuff, like, not maintained, like, a pool that was up that had, like, green water in it forever,” Goldsboro told the board.
Board members also noted the property had received town-issued maintenance notices (referred to in the hearing as “blue notices”), which can jeopardize a rental permit. Board member Mike Murray reminded the applicant that unresolved notices could lead the board to withdraw any permit if submitted information proves inaccurate.
On a motion by Board member Kelly Medwick, seconded by Mike Murray, the board voted to extend consideration of the Midwood Drive application to Feb. 26 to allow staff time to review prior violations and the landlord’s remediation efforts. The motion passed with board members voting in the affirmative and no opposition recorded.
The board asked that the applicant and neighbors remain available for follow-up and indicated staff would review complaint records and any remediation evidence before the continuation date.
For now, the application remains under review; the board will reconvene the hearing on Feb. 26 to consider any additional documentation and testimony.
