Sleepy Hollow Housing – New Codes a Boon for Revitalization

The Sleepy Hollow Board of Trustees has unanimously approved sweeping changes to village building codes.

While the primary purpose of the new codes is to crackdown on illegal housing and overcrowded living spaces,  proponents say they will also help revamp Sleepy Hollow's unkempt downtown area.

"Obviously a large part of the downtown revitalization has to do with store fronts," Sleepy Hollow Trustee Karin Wompa said. "And we are hoping that it (new codes) will expedite the building department being able to enforce violations including structural issues and signage."

Overall, the new codes, approved last week, will spur landlords through potential penalties to actively undertake refurbishment of their buildings on their own initiative.

"We want to hold landlords accountable for the appearances of their buildings," Wompa said.

While it wasn't a conscious effort when approaching the code revisions, the discretion granted to the village's building department allows them to tackle code violations pertaining to facades and structures with the same zeal applied to illegal and overcrowded housing. The building department can fine, and fast-track problematic building owners into the village court system for failing to address violations.

"One of the things that the code changes are allowing us to do is expedite the process a little bit," Village Building Inspector Sean McCarthy said.

McCarthy and Wompa referenced cracked or crumbling stucco and panelling, signs that aren't up to code standards and buildings that are structurally unsound as examples of violations that are hurting Sleepy Hollow's image.

One particular sore spot is the continued hole in the community at 68 Beekman Ave. The building was gutted in a fire in 2008 and was subsequently razed. The buildings adjacent to 68 Beekman remain, in large part, out of code compliance.

"Weather is starting to severally deteriorate the buildings," McCarthy said of the structures adjacent to 68 Beekman. "Hopefully, this (code changes) will help us to expedite movement on those buildings."

McCarthy said some progress has been made on the issue. The owner of the 68 Beekman building has applied to rebuild, but has not taken out a permit. The building to the east has permits that were issued last fall, but the landlord has so far failed to make any moves. The building to the west is currently undergoing renovations. Work is ongoing in the former pizza shop, work that McCarthy said is nearing completion.

While some landlords seem to be sitting on their damaged properties, they could be held accountable for deteriorating buildings.

But the effort to enforce building standards is not all about regulations and fines. The work of the village's building department to target code violations will be made easier with incentives provided by the Sleepy Hollow Downtown Revitalization Corporation.

SHDRC is a non-profit that was created by the Village of Sleepy Hollow in 2006. One of the major initiatives under SHDRC management is a facade grant program that matches the amount of money building owners put into their refurbishments (up to $10,000). The money comes from grants handed down by the state's Quality Community program ($385,000 in total), operating expenses are paid by the Village of Sleepy Hollow.

"The building inspectors control the ticketing process," said SHDRC's Executive Director Susan Roth. "But I am hoping, if we can get to that building owner first, we can get them into the program. We can get those improvements made, to rectify the building problems that aren't up to code."

The program has had three successful applicants, most notably the building that houses the Bridge View Tavern. While business owners who opt into the program have to adhere to certain design standards, Roth believes this is the best opportunity to get local building owners on board the revitalization train.

"We're like a nice, fat, juicy carrot, or a carrot cake," she said. "It's not the village's intention to create revenue through these building violations, they would rather see the building look better and we're working together on this."

The SHDRC has an active campaign to raise awareness of the grant program (grant money will expire this year unless it is used), and low-interest loans that are being made available by Mahopac Bank.

Aside from business facades, the SHDRC also has $50,000 set aside for streetscape improvements. The group is also in discussions with the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns to make Morse Park a public park, and is working with the Open Door clinic to clean the grimy exterior of their building as well.

Despite the tangible progress being made in downtown Sleepy Hollow, officials warn it will still take time to cleanup buildings, even with new codes to help speed up the process.

"People keep saying, 'Revitalization, revitalization.' These things don't happen over night," Wompa said. "It takes time, but hopefully we'll be moving in the right direction."