Franklin Square / Renovations / Property Tax (Hempstead, Valley Stream: assessors, new house, landscaping)

[DoobieDoo]

Just moved to Franklin Square and we'd like to do some renovating on the house...without having our taxes raised (if at all possible?). One of the things I really want to have done is to put in fencing around the property. Is this possible? I'm also hearing that in some towns, you can't hang laundry outside your yard on Sundays? Might any of these things be on the internet? I've been to the TOH site but only came across ordinances and such but nothing that says anything about what would raise your taxes...however, I can see why something like that wouldn't be posted anywhere...

thanks for any help!

[AlexisT]

I don't think TOH has the laundry rule. I think that was one of the Hamptons. Many HOAs have restrictions on outside laundry, but that wouldn't be an issue for you.

As for renovations and taxes, that can get a bit complicated--it depends on what you're doing. I don't think fences affect taxes. Building additions and pools will do it. A call to the town would probably be the most helpful thing because the codes are complex.

[Walter Greenspan]

Mazel tov, DoobieDoo, on your new house.

Unlike Suffolk County where each of the 10 towns separately assess property within their respective towns; in Nassau County, the Nassau County Assessors Office assesses the property in the 2 cities and 3 towns.


For those who may not be familiar with Franklin Square:

Franklin Square is a hamlet (an unincorporated area) in the northwest section of the Town of Hempstead, in the west part of Nassau County.

Beginning on the north and moving in a clockwise direction, the Hamlet of Franklin Square in the Town of Hempstead is bordered on the north by the Village of Stewart Manor, the Village of Garden City and the Hamlet of South Garden City; on the east by the Hamlet of South Garden City and the Hamlet of West Hempstead; on the south by the Village of Malverne and the Hamlet of North Valley Stream; and, on the west by the Hamlet of Elmont.





The Hamlet of Franklin Square has a different border than does the "Franklin Square, NY 11010" ZIP Code postal zone (i.e., a place can have a "Franklin Square, NY 11010" mailing address and not be in Franklin Square and a place can be in the Hamlet of Franklin Square and have other than a "Franklin Square, NY 11010" mailing address): places with a "Franklin Square, NY 11010" mailing address that are not in the Hamlet of Franklin Square are in the Village of Stewart Manor; and, at the same time, there are places in the Hamlet of Franklin Square that have a "Garden City, NY 11530", "Elmont, NY 11003" and "Valley Stream, NY 11580" mailing address.


For a good set of town-by-town maps showing all the villages and hamlets in each of LI's 13 towns (3 in Nassau County and 10 in Suffolk County): http://www.city-data.com/forum/long-...-resource.html

[FSResident]

First let me say WELCOME to Franklin Square! It's a great town and I've been living here all my life.

I just wanted to add my two cents about putting a fence around your property. Please think twice before enclosing your entire property with the white PVC fencing. In my opinion, the 6 feet solid white fences which people are using on corner properties to create a backyard for themselves are a great idea. However, a few people have put white picket fences around their entire property and I honestly feel like this is overkill. These fences really take away from the beauty of all houses who have them because ALL you see is FENCE! They cut the visibility of a house in half, hide the beautiful lawn and landscaping and can be quite dizzying as you drive by picket after picket. Just imagine, if house after house decided to have picket fences . . . it would be ugly.

According to the Town of Hempstead, fencing past the front of the house is only allowed to be 4 feet tall. However, these fences alone measure 4 feet tall, but when they're installed, they're usally raised another foot off the ground making them almost 5 feet tall. I know this because when I walk past one, I purposely leaned against it and it was above my shoulder and I'm 5'7!! I really wonder if anyone has ever reported them to the TOH and if they would do anything about it. I'm sure the fencing companies know it's wrong, but they're not going to tell the customer.

Now I realize why towns such as Garden City have ordinances against fences and why their town looks so much nicer without them. It drives me nuts when I see another one of these fences being put up because it's sad to think the owner thinks it's nice, when it's not. Just think about it, there's not many of them out there and I'm sure it's not because of the cost of them because as we know, people will find a way to pay for something they really want. Most people I've talked to about this situation agree.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by FSResident

I just wanted to add my two cents about putting a fence around your property. Please think twice before enclosing your entire property with the white PVC fencing. In my opinion, the 6 feet solid white fences which people are using on corner properties to create a backyard for themselves are a great idea. However, a few people have put white picket fences around their entire property and I honestly feel like this is overkill.

I have corner property neighbors with the above. It also tends to be a hazard for drivers because it blocks the visibility of the intersection you are trying to turn onto or cross and you have to "creep" up past the stop sign a bit before you can even see what the traffic is like on the side where the big privacy fence is.

[DoobieDoo]

thanks for everyone's input. sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here. the only reason why we would want fencing is because we're on a semi-busy road and have a child. any ideas on this?

FSResident: I could see your point about white PVC fences and thanks for bringing it up. DH is thinking about iron fencing and hedges. I'm a city girl so I'm not all that familiar with options that are out there. I'm open to hearing more and learning about what will raise our taxes and what won't. we have a big project on our hands!

[Mark Gl]

Franklin Square is convenietly located, safe, great neighbors, schools and people are always upgrading their homes. But the problem of turning our area into a lego city via walls of plastic may give you "more privacy" but at a higher cost. Having lived in FS for 30 yrs many wanderers and possible robberies were stymied by neighbors being able to see through their property lines and notifying the proper people about it! Walls of vinyl will keep your intruders hidden and unrecognizable! There are many adults around who can tell you that when they were children a "neighbor" kept them from danger or something that could have been very detrimental to their well being!
That was because they could see through a cyclone fence or rail-think about that! Also when your home is encased in a plastic box it has lost its visual appeal and that is not an enhancement. Do your neighbors have to be suffocated by a lack of air movement through the yards? How would you like to be a police officer going through yards and not being able to see where or what the perps are doing?
Maybe towns and villages with no fence ordinances were better thought out!