Construction industry group to focus efforts on East End building department backlogs

The Long Island Builders Institute has formed a coalition focused on construction issues on the East End to help reverse a trend of permit delays for new builds and renovations that have caused industry slowdowns.

The group, LIBI’s East End Council, will advocate for more efficient online permitting systems and broader permit reforms across the region's five towns and myriad villages, LIBI CEO Mike Florio told Newsday.

Builders in East Hampton Town have been hit hard by permit delays, with lengthy plan reviews slowing projects and creating uncertainty across the industry. The town has outsourced reviews to architectural firms and hired more employees to process a lengthy backlog that has left some builders waiting for more than a year for permits, Newsday has reported.

“We’re looking to unify under one voice to address our regional issues with solutions,” Michael Forst, a third-generation East Hampton builder and president of Forst Construction, said in an interview.

Members of the construction trade group recently met in Southampton to share frustrations and agreed that LIBI should expand its presence on the East End. The industry group hasn’t maintained a dedicated chapter in the region for more than a decade, builders said.

Forst will serve as the group’s co-chair, representing the South Fork, while Fred Seifert, part-owner of Seifert Construction in Mattituck, will serve as a co-chair representing the North Fork.

The town expects to bring wait times for simple permits down to two weeks, and for homebuilder permits down to four to six weeks, by next May, chief building inspector Richard Normoyle said during a recent town board work session.

The construction and real estate industry is a key economic driver on the East End, particularly the multimillion-dollar luxury home market. The median home price in the Hamptons jumped to a record high of $2.4 million in the first quarter of the year, Newsday has reported. The median home price on the North Fork was just shy of $1 million, close to the record high of $1.1 million.

The council wants more East End governments to use online permitting systems. Florio said some municipalities are using the technology, but there have been “hiccups,” particularly in East Hampton Town.

Builders also want local officials to support changes to state law that would allow licensed architects and engineers to certify building plans. LIBI officials said proposed legislation could reduce the workload for building inspectors and accelerate the permitting process. New York City has used a similar system since the 1990s. The architects and engineers would attest the plans comply with state building and fire codes, relieving the workload of town employees.

If approved, local governments would have to opt-in to implement the program.

Other priorities include increasing affordable housing and train service for the area’s workforce, as well as lobbying for policies that lower construction costs, Forst and Seifert said.

“If we want our future contractors and tradesmen to be able to work here, they obviously have to live here,” Seifert said. “We need to find ways to be able to get affordable housing for them and keep our talent here on the East End.”

Florio said LIBI has had “very productive discussions” with East End officials. Municipal leaders, he said, have shown a willingness to address the issues.

“The fact that this has just sort of taken hold and jelled at the right time is a good thing ... for the members in those communities, both the builders and the residents,” Florio said.