PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION:

It is time for the Village of Hewlett Bay Park to Amend it's Zoning Code to more easily allow individual residents to install home security gates at the front driveway entrances to their properties!

Recently, a Village homeowner decided to install an automatic home security gates at the two front entrances to her home, at both sides of her semicircular driveway. Two neighbors in her direct vicinity already had them, so it was nothing new. They looked good and provided improved home security against potential intruders.

A building permit application was filed, and it was denied for the sole reason that the gates would be located in the front yard setback. So, this homeowner applied to the Village's BZA for a simple front yard variance. The hearing took place last Tuesday night, and it was asserted on behalf of the homeowner that the gates should be granted because gates are "customarily incidental" to the primary use of the premises as a single family residence, and therefore should be considered a permitted "accessory use." No neighbor objected to the gates. However, much to the homeowner's surprise, several board members expressed categorical hostility to the very idea of home security gates. They insisted that Hewlett Bay Park is not a gated community, and they believed it completely inappropriate to allow residents the option of installing gates. The homeowner stressed that she was willing to work with the BZA to place the gates further back on the property if that is what the board members preferred. But, it was to no avail. It was not the location, but the very idea or existence of home security gates which the board members found so distasteful.

This is an unacceptable state of affairs. It is up to the Mayor and Board of Trustees to amend the Zoning Code to facilitate home security gates and piers for residents who may want them. The Mayor and Board may enact regulations that include safeguards as they deem appropriate. But the option should be in black and white.

So, they must act, and quickly. Nowadays, with heightened concerns about safety in our homes, it is imperative that the Village take swift corrective action on behalf of residents and the safety of their homes and loved ones.

Please sign this Petition. Our homeowners spend millions on their homes, and their families safety inside them. We are living in an age of greater uncertainty. The Village has made the decision not to become a formally gated community. Having done so, zoning board members should not be allowed to thwart reasonable plans by individual homeowners to install their own security gates!

Please forward this petition to your family and neighbors to e-sign.