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North Hempstead building permits backlogged

MICHAEL R. EBERT

April 27, 2008

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I live in New Hyde Park and have been waiting for a Town of North Hempstead building permit since July. I've seen stories about indictments in the town's building department but haven't heard much about how absurd the wait has become for permits. Can you update the town's permit backlog? - Marianne Haughey-Barrios, New Hyde Park

While the town is still catching up with the backlog created by the 2006 scandal involving illegal handouts of permits and certificates of occupancy, the wait has been "significantly reduced," officials said.

An 18-month probe of the building department led to the arrest of three town employees and prompted officials to stop issuing permits, causing a nine- to 12-month delay.

There's about a three-month wait now and the backlog should be eliminated by July, town spokesman Justin Meyers said. "The industry standard is six to eight weeks. ... We're almost back to that point." Two teams of four employees have been tackling the backlog, he said.

Applicants can help stem delays by submitting plans that are to code and sticking to them. In Haughey-Barrios' case, part of the delay occurred because her surveyor wasn't licensed in New York. She should receive a permit for a second bedroom shortly.

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