Flower Hill board approves local laws on covered license plates, lot‑averaging and land‑use application fees

At its June 2 meeting the Village of Flower Hill Board of Trustees approved three pieces of local legislation and issued the SECRA type‑2 environmental determinations the mayor read into the record.

The board adopted a local law to prohibit covered, concealed or obscured license plates on the grounds those covers impede code enforcement and allow unregistered vehicles to remain in the village. The mayor said the change aims to help the code officer identify unregistered vehicles and reduce long‑term parking of inoperable or unsightly cars.

Trustees also approved Local Law C (2025), described as an average‑density (lot‑averaging) subdivision rule intended to preserve open space while permitting compact development on assembled or large lots. Staff said the provision would allow dwelling units to be grouped on portions of a property most suitable for development while leaving other portions as undeveloped open space; applications would remain subject to review and public hearing.

Finally, Local Law D will require land‑use applicants to reimburse the village for consultant and expert fees incurred during application review (for example, traffic and civil engineering costs) instead of placing those costs on taxpayers. The mayor told trustees that charging applicants for these expert expenses aligns Flower Hill’s practice with other municipalities.

Each law included the village’s SECRA (environmental) lead‑agency/type‑2 finding read aloud by the mayor; board members approved the motions by voice vote during the public hearing portion of the meeting.