JANUARY 2026 NEWSLETTER

villageofgreenport.org

GREENPORT PEOPLE OF THE YEAR

• The Village represented in the Suffolk Times' People of the Year. Read about Harry Lewis, Faith Welch, and Aaron Hubbard. Congrats to all!

RENTAL PERMIT RENEWALS

• All current and prior (for the past two years) rental permit holders will be getting notifications by mail to renew their permits.

CHRISTMAS TREE PICKUP

• The Village is picking up Christmas trees in front of your home during the week to recycle at Orient State Park. Trees must be completely free of all decoration.

GREENPORT AND SOUTHOLD MEET ON CPF

• Greenport and Southold officials continue to meet on spending funds in the Village. Read the Newsday article here.

CHANGES DOWNTOWN

• Veme has moved to Bootleg Alley. Feuerherm & Hoff, a 20th Century Art & Design store with furniture, lighting, textiles, and art has moved into their space on Front Street. The Greenporter Hotel has begun a multi-million dollar renovation of guest rooms and public spaces.

SUCCESSFUL RAISE SHELL AND HOLIDAY STROLL

• Thanks to all who organized, participated in, sponsored, and attended the Raise Shell and Holiday Stroll events, including but not limited to the folks at Little Creek and the Hold Fast Fund, the North Fork Art Collective, and the BID.

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST BEGINS

• The first drawing of winners will be selected in early April, after the March 31st deadline for the first round. There will be four groups of winners in 2026. Photos will be used for the Village website and newsletter.

• Participants may submit one original photograph per category (up to 4 total, including Nature & Wildlife, Parks & Recreation, Waterfront & Working Harbor, Village Life & Business District, and Other).



• Photos can be submitted here.

Sunday, January 11 | Alegria Ensemble concert 3pm • Floyd Memorial Library

Tuesday, January 13 | Meeting for BID owners and business owners to plan a Fire & Ice event to coincide with Valentine's Day and the Firefighter's Parade 6pm • Black Llama

Saturday, January 31 | Phantastic Journey: Music for Strings and Winds 8pm •

North Fork Arts Center

Camera Obscura | Saturday & Sunday 10am-12pm and by appointment

Carousel | Open Saturday, Sunday and Greenport School Holidays 11am-5pm (Credit Cards Only)

Community Dance | January 17, February 21, March 21, April 18 4:30pm Instruction 5pm Open Dance • Unitarian Universalist Church of Southold, 51900 Main Road, Southold

Southold Officials Take Office

Semiquincentennial Plans Announced

Greenport Gets LWRP Grant

ADU Changes Discussed

PLANNING BOARD

The Planning Board sent a letter to the Board of Trustees summarizing the outcome of its October 27th meeting with members of the downtown community to discuss issues relating to zoning, planning, and potential development opportunities to help sustain a diverse and vibrant, year-round commercial district.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION

Beginning this January 2026, the Historic Preservation Commission will meet the second Thursday of each month at 5pm at the Third Street Firehouse.  

HPC highlights from 2025 include:

• issuing 22 Certificates of Appropriateness
• adding 2 new Commission members and an advisory Historic Expert
• educational outreach and public discussion regarding extending the local historic district to Village boundaries
• creation of a historic district for the 27 Sandy Beach properties 
• collaboration with the Village Board and the Business Improvement District on the submission of a grant application for funding to enable the nomination of additional Greenport properties to the State and National historic registers,
• conducting a seminar on the tax credit program for property renovation - 20% for residences and 50% for commercial properties.

VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Short Term Rentals:

A new law was adopted, effective as of January 1, 2026, that allows no-minimum-stay rentals for residential properties and aims to discourage investor-driven acquisition of homes. Short-term rentals are only permitted in properties that function primarily as a home and fall within three categories:

• Hosted STR: The owner or a resident tenant must be physically present on-site during the guest's stay, and only bedrooms (not the whole unit) may be rented.
• Owner-Occupied STR: The entire house may be rented if at least one owner uses the property for residential living and resides there for at least 120 days per year.
• Resident STR: Limited to two-unit properties where one unit is occupied full-time by either an owner or a resident tenant with a minimum 12-month lease.

Fees, enforcement and penalties:

• One short-term rental permit is allowed per person. Property owners must apply for new permits within 60 days of January 1, 2026, and these permits must be in effect within 120 days of that date.
• Properties with rentals for less than 30 days must acquire a permit, good for one year, at a fee of $750.
• Properties with rentals for 30 days or more must acquire a permit, good for two years at a fee of $250.
• Short-term rentals are explicitly prohibited in the Waterfront Commercial and Commercial Retail districts.
• A part-time Code Enforcement Officer has been hired to manage rental permit processing and compliance.
• Penalties for renting without a proper permit for first offense are $500 to $1,500, second offense are $1,000 to $2,500, and third offense are $1,500 to $5,000. Violations can lead to permit suspension or revocation and disqualification from obtaining a permit for three years.

Hotel/Lodging Tax:

The Board passed a resolution requesting that the New York State Legislature amend tax law to authorize the Village to impose a 4% occupancy tax on stays at hotels, motels, and short-term rentals. The use of revenue will be discussed by the board in future working sessions.

Planning and Zoning:

The board continued discussion on the 2025 Village of Greenport Zoning Update – Policy & Implementation Framework proposed by the Planning Board including vacant properties and parking regulations.

Farmers Market: 

A resolution for the 2026 Greenport Farmers Market was approved moving market days from Friday afternoons to Saturday mornings when the market opens back up in May.

Fire Department & Public Safety:

• The Fire Department exceeded 1,100 alarms for the year, exceeding the previous year's total with thanks to all volunteers for their service.
• Financing is in place for a Village fire boat via an approved grant and a Village bond. A serious fundraising initiative is being developed to reduce the balance the Village is financing.

Business Improvement District (BID) Update:

The BID is funded by a tax of 4.58% of the total assessed value of properties within the district, generating just under $53,000 annually. Efforts are underway to prioritize capital goals. A grant-writing committee has been formed to seek additional funding.

Infrastructure, Utilities & Administration:

• Street Lighting: The Village project to replace street lights with LED fixtures is 95% complete. It will be dark-sky compliant, energy-saving once all are tested and adjusted.
• North Ferry and LIRR Parking Lot Project: The Village is in the process of being reimbursed for this grant funded project and will be mobilizing to start the electrical, road, and bulkhead work starting behind the Seaport Museum and working east.
• A redesigned Village Website is set to launch in late January 2026 with improved navigation.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs):

Members of the Workforce and Affordable Housing Committee proposed guidelines for board consideration of code amendments to support expanding full-time (long-term) rental housing through the adoption of accessory dwelling units as of right for pre-existing structures. Potential changes to parking requirements may need to be considered as part of the proposed code amendments.

Copyright 2025.

Village of Greenport, New York

All Rights Reserved.