Proposed New Zip Code for Flanders, Riverside, Northampton Passes House Committee: Zeldin

Good news could be coming for residents of Flanders, Riverside and Northampton who'd like a zip code to call their own.

Rep. Lee Zeldin said Wednesday that legislation introduced earlier this week in the House, H.R. 6303, by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, passed out of the committee without a hitch, unanimously approved with bipartisan supoort.

The legislation designates facilities of the United States Postal Service and establishes new zip codes, and includes a section within the bill that would create a new, unique zip code for the hamlets of Flanders, Riverside, and Northampton, in the Town of Southampton.

To read the bill, click here.

“For residents in Flanders, Northampton and Riverside, a new zip code has been a top priority for several years," Zeldin said.

"According to research initiated by the concerned residents of these hamlets, there are currently 18 identical street names and 32 similar street names — and possibly more — that are shared between these Southampton hamlets and Riverhead Town. The delay of deliveries caused by this issue is not just a nuisance to the local community, but these packages can hold important goods, like medications, which can greatly impact quality of life and well-being."

Having a shared zip code and similar street names can also cause major problems for police, first responders, and other emergency personnel, who may arrive at the wrong address, Zeldin explained.

The aim is to get the bill signed into law before the end of the year, he said.

In September, Zeldin hosted a roundtable at the Big Duck in Flanders with Chairman Chaffetz and a group of community leaders from the impacted area, who spoke firsthand about the issue.