The Baxter Estates Board of Trustees on Thursday introduced a bill to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 21 — following the Town of North Hempstead’s November initiative.
The board will hold a public hearing on the topic at its June meeting, village officials said.
If passed, the legislation would prohibit the sale of tobacco products, liquid nicotine and electronic cigarettes to anyone under the age of 21.
The town passed legislation in November that went into effect in March that covers areas outside incorporated villlages. The town also asked villages to increase the legal age from 18 to 21.
“We don’t want to be the place where the kids come to from other villages or the Town of North Hempstead, so I think that is a concern,” Deputy Mayor Charles Comer said. “I am in favor.”
Suffolk County and New York City have also raised the legal age for buying tobacco products.
A scheduled public hearing at Thursday’s Board of Trustee meeting to discuss a law that would establish a six-month moratorium on processing subdivision applications was postponed.
The board moved the public hearing to an undetermined later date because Trustees Chris Ficalora and Doug Baldwin were not present.
The law would prohibit subdivisions, as well as prohibit the Building Department, the planning board and the zoning board from processing any application for subdivisions for six months.
If passed, the moratorium would allow the village time to evaluate properties on hills for safety, Chrissy Kiernan, the village clerk, said.
“It would only be for six months and requires a formal planning study,” she said. “It was in the budget presentation as this is nothing new.”
“In order to allow this board additional time to investigate and review the recommendations of the village Building Department and land use and environmental experts to determine whether any changes in the present zoning regulations are needed, this board has determined to enact a six-month moratorium of all subdivisions of real property,” the law says.
The board also introduced a bill that would require a site plan for demolition to ensure that properties are presentable.
A site plan would be required for proposed projects, including building a new structure, the demolition of any structure or building, all uses of vacant land, changes to a structure that will affect the characteristics of a site and making a structure, the law said.
Although the ongoing controversy surrounding the Baxter House includes the owner submitting a demolition application without a site plan and trying to subdivide the property, the laws are not connected to the house, Kiernan said.
The historic house, which was heavily damaged in a fire in February, has stirred up controversy with residents and village officials condemning the owner, Sabrina Wu, for not preserving the home.
Last month, Wu submitted an application to demolish the home but the village deemed the proposal was incomplete. The Landmarks Preservation Commission said Wu had let the home deteriorate, allowing the village building inspector to fine Wu.
“This has nothing to do with the Baxter House,” Kiernan said. “The landmark law is very complex for the Baxter House and has its own rules regarding the property. The land at the Baxter House is landmarked as is the site plan and the home.”
