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Assembly considers extending primary-residency tax relief to all vacant lots
Summary
An ordinance introduced would let buyers of vacant lots qualify for the primary-residency exemption—with two years to start construction and up to three years after construction begins to obtain a certificate of occupancy; staff will return with details on how exemptions are tracked and enforcement options.
Assembly member Gardner introduced an ordinance to extend the borough’s recently adopted primary-residency covenant/property tax relief to all vacant lots across the borough. Gardner said the intent is to “extend the same benefit to everybody on the island” and described the timeline: “they get basically 2 years to start construction and 3 years after construction commences to complete construction and achieve a certificate of occupancy.”
Staff (Seema) explained how exemptions are verified and monitored—assessing inspects parcels, uses a vacant-land code to identify accessory buildings, and plans to request a specific exemption ID from software vendors so reports can be run to track expirations. Members discussed whether owners who already hold vacant lots should receive the same timing as new purchasers and whether failing to build within the allowed period should result in repayment of taxes and interest. The item will return in draft ordinance form for further refinement at agenda setting.
