Greenport Village trustees plan to meet with Habitat for Humanity to discuss having the organization build homes on two village-owned properties on Webb Street.
Trustee Doug Roberts brought the suggestion to the village board at its work session Thursday evening. He said he’s spoken to Habitat for Humanity and the organization would be very happy to undertake the project, building homes for local families at no cost to the village.
“We would have to agree to sell them the lots for a dollar,” Roberts said.
The lots in question were conveyed to the village by the county. But the deeds contained covenants that required the village to construct homes “within a certain time period” for affordable housing, Trustee Mary Bess Phillips said. The time limit has lapsed, so it’s not clear whether the village still owns the properties, she said. Phillips said she asked the village attorney to look into the matter “a couple of months ago.” Village attorney Joseph Prokop said he has been in touch with the county agency, but there’s been a change in personnel there and he’s still waiting on a definitive answer.
Roberts said he believes if the village were willing to move forward with Habitat for Humanity on the two sites, there would be no resistance from the county and the village could get whatever paperwork was necessary for the conveyances.
Roberts asked to have folks from Habitat for Humanity come to the board’s next work session.
“That’s fine,” Mayor George Hubbard said, “as long as they understand we might not have property available.”
Habitat for Humanity is currently completing a project in Orient, the first it has ever built in Southold Town.
