November hearing for 'Jumpstart Brookhaven'

The Brookhaven town board voted Tuesday night to set a Nov. 10 public hearing for “Jumpstart Brookhaven,” an initiative that would refund fees for certain building projects that break ground in 2012.

The town will refund building and planning fees by 20 percent for qualifying projects, said Supervisor Mark Lesko, who proposed the initiative. To qualify for the rebate, projects must include at least 110,000 square feet of commercial or industrial development, or 50 or more residential housing units, town officials said.

The effort is designed to encourage developers to move quickly on significant projects, Lesko said.

“This program will encourage the implementation of projects that already have their town approvals and will result in the creation of thousands of jobs, and in some cases, the elimination of monuments to blight,” Lesko said in a statement.

Fees will be refunded once structures are complete, town officials said. Building permits for the projects must be obtained after Jan. 1, 2012, officials said.