Government

Village Hall: Film regs, vacation rentals and Brewers Yacht Yard

Greenport Village resident Patt Rudder discusses AirBnB and short-term rentals at Monday evening's Greenport Village board meeting. (Credit: Paul Squire)
Greenport Village resident Patt Rudder discusses AirBnB.com’s short-term rentals at the Greenport Village Board meeting on Monday. (Credit: Paul Squire)

The Village Board, residents and business owners continued discussing concerns over short-term rentals during its meeting Monday night.

Greenport resident Patt Rudder told the Village Board that nearby homes are advertised on the website AirBnB.com as being able to accommodate nearly a dozen guests.

“All of these properties, with the exception of one or two, advertise that the entire house is for rent,” he said.

Greenport business owner Rena Wilhelm said her in-laws own a bed-and-breakfast in the village and pay a hospitality tax, adding she would like to see short-term rentals also pay up.

“I would hope and or expect that they’d give something back to the village,” she said.

Mayor David Nyce said the village isn’t rushing to make any judgements on short-term home rental services.

BREWER YACHT YARD

The Village Board approved bulkhead work and a bathroom renovation plan at Brewer Yacht Yard during its meeting Monday night.

But the approval came with a catch.

Brewer Yacht Yard is now expected to install a permanent pump-out station for its sewage, as well as make a mobile pump-out boat available to the village, according to the resolution.

The approval came after some residents asked during the public hearing for the board to collect fees on the yard’s septic system since the construction would be adverse to the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.

Other residents supported the agreement and credited the business with bringing boat traffic to the village.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, FEES!

A decision could be made as early as the next month on whether to charge fees for filming in Greenport Village.

Dave Berson, a tour boat captain, was the only person to speak about proposed fees for production companies who wish to film in the village.

He described the recent production of the hit HBO show “Girls” in the village as a “biblical plague” of “college kids spending their parent’s money way too unwisely.” He also took issue with the extras the production company used to make Greenport seem more “gnarly.”

He advocated for the village to charge higher fees for production companies, admitting that he tried to extort $200 cash out of the producers to film near his business.

“This is the only group in America that has any wealth at all,” he said.

Greenport Mayor David Nyce said the Village Board is going to discuss the proposed regulations at its next work session and aims to have a proposal ready for next month’s meeting.

[email protected]