Amityville may require more green space on front yards

The Village of Amityville next week will hold a public hearing on a proposed new law that would require homeowners’ front yards to have a dedicated amount of green space.

The amendment would be to the village’s zoning code for residence districts. The proposed law states that “not less than 60% of the area of the front yard shall be installed and maintained as green space with grass, flowers, bushes, or trees.”

Under existing code, residences cannot have more than 40% of their front yard used for parking, unless the homeowner gets a special permit from the board of trustees. The proposed law states that if a homeowner has a special permit for a driveway in excess of 40% of the front yard, then the percentage of green space required can be reduced to an amount that would be proportionate to the 40/60 split.

Mayor Dennis Siry said the issue was something that had been discussed for some time among officials who wanted to address the fact that the majority of front yardage was not regulated under existing village code.

“We wanted to be a little more proactive,” he said.

Siry said village officials had begun to notice some homeowners were paving over large portions of their front yard or putting in stones.

“It was starting to look too urbanized,” he said. “We’re trying to get a little more of a natural feeling [to yards].”

Those found in violation of the proposed law could face a fine of up to $1,500, Siry said. He said residences that currently do not meet the 60% green requirement will be grandfathered in under the new law.

The hearing will take place via a 7:30 p.m. Monday meeting on Zoom. Meeting information is posted on the village website.

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.