| CONGRATS TO PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS | Congratulations to all our Photography Contest winners, including Kailei Moschinger in the Nature and Wildlife category, featured above. Check out all the winning entries here, and submit your own for this round here. | RAILROAD DOCK & SEAPORT MUSEUM WORK | The Village started work on on the railroad dock bulkhead, electric panel relocation, surface repairs, and the new gathering space behind the museum (where LIRR removed unused rail tracks). | NEW VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR STARTED | Our new Village Administrator, Jenna Esposito, started this week, so look out for her around the Village, at upcoming meetings, and say hello. | SAVE THE DATE: MITCHELL PARK ICE RINK CELEBRATION | The community-wide fundraising campaign to support construction of a permanent ice rink in Mitchell Park will culminate in a music festival and boat parade on Saturday, August 8th from 6-10pm, coinciding with the visit from the Coast Guard ship, the Barque Eagle, in Mitchell Park and Marina. More details to come soon. DONATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED HERE. Checks made out to Friends of Mitchell Park with a note in the Memo Field for the Ice Rink Building Fund can be mailed to: The Friends of Mitchell Park, PO Box 512, Greenport, NY 11944. | CHERRY BLOSSOM FEST CONTINUES | The 10th Annual Cherry Blossom 5K was a huge success, with double the number of participants from last year and only the slightest sprinkle of rain! The festival continues with Japanese drumming at Holy Trinity Church and specials at various businesses downtown: details here. | |
GREENPORT SCHOOL BUDGET 2026-’27 UPDATE & VOTE
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School Budget Vote: Tuesday, May 19th from 2-8pm in the new gymnasium.
- The Financial Challenge: The District faces a structural budget gap of $3.1 million. This was caused by rising operating costs. Previous budgets relied heavily on one-time savings and reserves to close gaps.
- The Proposed Budget: The proposed budget is $25,995,000. This is a 3.58% decrease from last year. To build long-term stability, the District made the difficult decision to reduce 21 staff positions.
- Tax Cap Overrun: The Board of Education adopted a budget that exceeds the standard New York State tax levy cap at 7.71%. Because it exceeds the cap, it requires a 60% majority vote from residents to pass. Staying under the cap or going to a contingency budget would require much deeper cuts to student programs and staff.
- Capital Reserves vs. Operating Costs: The recent community-approved vote for the athletic complex uses restricted savings. By law, these funds cannot be used for daily school operations or salaries.
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BRUSH PICKUP CANCELED THIS TUESDAY |
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This Tuesday's brush pickup is canceled due to storm drain cleaning. The next date is Tuesday, June 2nd. It's every two weeks ending December 1. Please use bio-degradeable bags for leaves and grass.
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Starting September 1, ALL grass and leaves will be required to be in compostable brown bags. This helps protect our storm drains from getting clogged with debris, keeping us safer as our water table rises, and saving the Village the added expense of more frequent vacuum truck rentals to clean the drains (seen below).
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Paid parking will be in effect from Memorial Day weekend through October 12. In addition to Front and Main Streets, paid parking will also be in effect at the Adams Street lots.
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Enjoy spring in Greenport with by celebrating our cherry blossoms, safe boating, dance, music, dogs and more. Here’s what’s coming up!
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Saturday, May 16 | USCG Auxiliary 014-18-08 National Safe Boating Week Event
10am-3pm • Mitchell Park
| | Saturday & Sunday, May 16-17 | Brooklyn Ballet • North Fork Arts Center | Tuesday, May 19 | Pop Up Clean Up 5-6pm • 3rd Street Playground & Basketball Court | | Sundays, May 24 & June 14 | Concert at the Caboose 2pm • Railroad Museum of Long Island, 440 4th Street | |
Saturday & Sunday, June 6-7 | Dog Dock Diving 9am-5pm • Polo Grounds
| | Camera Obscura | Saturday & Sunday 10am-12pm, and by appointment | | Carousel | Open Saturday, Sunday and Greenport School Holidays 11am-5pm (Credit Cards Only) | | Tai Chi in Mitchell Park | Saturdays 9-10am (Free!) | Farmer's Market in Mitchell Park | Saturdays 9am-1pm starting May 23 | | Paul Drum Life Experience Project | July 14 - August 19 • Front Street Station and various locations (free weekly classes for ages 7-12 - register here) | Kalmar Nyckel Tall Ship | July 18-27 • Railroad Dock (public visitation, sails & educational tours) | U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle | August 7-10 • Mitchell Park Marina | | Maritime Festival & Parade | September 25-27 • Downtown | |
- The Mitchell Park Ice Rink Anniversary Celebration committee is looking for members to help with fundraising and event planning.
- The Carousel and Mini Railroad committees are looking for new members, especially parents of younger children.
- The Communication Committee is seeking members with graphic design, social media, and writing experience.
- The Camera Obscura and Dances in the Park have ongoing volunteer opportunities.
For more information and to apply to any of the above, email info@villageofgreenport.gov. For any committees, please include a paragraph or two about yourself, why you’re interested in serving on the committee, and any particular experience or knowledge you feel might be helpful. If you're interested in a committee, you can also apply here.
Southold Town committees are always open to Greenport residents, and Greenporters are encouraged to apply. It's important to have our voices and perspectives represented on town-wide issues. Find descriptions and meeting schedules for committees here. If interested, attend a committee meeting and contact the Town Clerk's office for more information and to put your application on file for when there are openings.
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GREENPORT IN THE NEWS
Stories from the media featuring our village or its residents.
| | Peconic Star Fleet Returns for Season | Greenport School Peace Pole | | | BID Plan to Bring New Businesses | Panel on Housing and the Environment | | | MONTHLY VILLAGE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS | | |
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ADU Recommendations
- The Board of Trustees has been discussing potential amendments to the Village Zoning Code to permit the development of Accessory Dwelling Units (“ADUs”) in the Village’s residential districts. An ADU is generally a small, independent residential unit located on the same property as an existing home.
- The Village’s Workforce and Affordable Housing Committee (“WHAC”) has been developing recommendations for possible Zoning Code amendments to permit the creation of ADUs in the Village’s residential districts.
- The concepts currently under discussion are initially focused on the repurposing and adaptive reuse of existing buildings, rather than new construction, for the creation of ADUs. The framework being discussed would generally allow: one ADU within an existing home (principal building); and one ADU within an existing accessory structure, such as a garage or outbuilding, for a maximum of two ADUs per property in the Village’s R-1 and R-2 residential districts.
- A key aspect of the discussion is recognizing Greenport’s historic development pattern. Much of the Village was built long before current zoning regulations were adopted, and as a result many homes, garages, and accessory structures do not fully conform to today’s zoning requirements for setbacks, height, or other dimensional standards. In many cases, even modest improvements to existing structures may currently require property owners to obtain zoning variances.
- The proposals under discussion are intended to focus on the reuse of existing structures as they already exist, while avoiding incentives for significant new construction or changes to neighborhood scale. Under the concepts being discussed, an existing home or accessory structure could potentially be converted into an ADU without requiring the structure to comply with current bulk standards, such as setback requirements, provided the building is not expanded, enlarged, or structurally altered in a way that increases its size, height, or footprint. For example, an existing garage located near a property line could potentially be converted into an ADU in its existing form, but additions or exterior expansions would still need to comply with applicable zoning requirements or receive appropriate approvals.
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- The proposals under discussion would also include minimum and maximum size limits for ADUs, require compliance with applicable building and safety codes, and prohibit short-term rentals on any property containing an ADU, with the goal of encouraging year-round housing opportunities.
- The Board of Trustees continues to review and discuss these concepts with WHAC and other stakeholders. Once a proposal has been further refined, a draft local law will be published and a public hearing will be scheduled to receive community input before any changes are considered for adoption.
Village Economic Health
There was extensive discussion on the economic health of the Village. More details and public comments can be found in meeting minutes and video posted to the Village Website.
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Property Assessment: The Village intends to form a special task force to look into the issue of outdated property assessments in the Town of Southold impacting tax equity, alongside the school board.
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Lodging tax: A proposed lodging tax, intended to help fund Village infrastructure and alleviate the burdens of the tourism economy still needs another co-sponsor in the state legislature. Assemblyman Schiavoni, a supporter of the bill, is working on identifying co-sponsors. We will continue to provide updates in this newsletter and encourage the public to help advocate for the bill (latest text here).
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Revenue from Permitting and Code Enforcement: The Village is working with Southold Town to return to using the Municity permit tracking system. In the meantime, the Treasurer’s office and the Building Department are executing a manual review of construction plans, certificates of occupancy, and newly received tax rolls to ensure all property improvements are properly captured and permitted. Active code enforcement is happening and the Building Inspector issues stop-work orders on unpermitted construction.
Deeper dive
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Meeting minute transcripts and videos of the Board of Trustees April 16th working session, April 23rd annual organizational meeting, and the April 23 regular meeting are posted on the Village website.
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PLANNING BOARD & ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
There is no business to report from the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board meetings other than specific property applications. Agendas and meeting minute transcripts for Planning can be found here and for Zoning can be found here when they are posted. You will find recorded videos of these meetings on the Village website as well.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
- Preservation Studios completed their two week site visit of Second Street, Front Street, and Monsell Place, as well as properties not already on the registers for Stirling Avenue and Green Hill Cemetery.
- Chris Bianchi of Floyd Memorial Library was very helpful providing historical information about the Village, which will aid the consultant in expanding the "Period of Significance" of Greenport's contribution to American history.
- Jane Ratsey Williams contributed historic information on Green Hill Cemetery, which the consultant felt was very helpful. This initial phase was completed very successfully.
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A video of the April 9th HPC meeting is available on the Village website (give it a minute to load and start playing).
| | UPCOMING MEETINGS (THIRD STREET FIREHOUSE) | | Planning Board | Monday, May 18 & June 15, 5pm | | Zoning Board | Tuesday, May 19, 6pm | | Board of Trustees | Thursdays, May 21 & 28, 6pm | Historic Planning Commission | Thursday, June 11, 5pm | | | | |
Copyright 2026.
Village of Greenport, New York
All Rights Reserved.
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