Patchogue, NY - January 11, 2017 - Today, Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) re-introduced his legislation to assign a new, unique zip code to the hamlets of Flanders, Riverside and Northampton, within the Town of Southampton. Currently, these three hamlets share the 11901 zip code with the nearby Town of Riverhead, which has caused a number of issues for local residents.
According to research initiated by the concerned residents of these hamlets, there are currently 18 identical street names and 32 similar street names - and possibly more - that are shared between these Southampton hamlets and the Town of Riverhead. This causes a number of issues in the local community and makes things very confusing for postal carriers, which leads to mail and packages being delivered to the wrong address, and sometimes even being routed as far away as Flanders, New Jersey. Furthermore, sometimes these packages aren’t able to be delivered, with packages frequently being marked as “return to sender” or “address unknown.”
“While the delay of deliveries caused by sharing a zip code is a nuisance and heavily impacts residents’ quality of life, above all else, it is a safety hazard,” said Congressman Zeldin. “These packages can hold important goods like medications, which are critical for a person's health and well-being. They can also cause major problems for police, first responders, and other emergency personnel, who may arrive at the wrong address due to these shared street names with the same zip code. These kinds of mistakes can be avoided, and these problems can be alleviated by assigning a new and unique zip code to Flanders, Riverside and Northampton.”
After introducing this legislation last Congress, Congressman Zeldin brought then-Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R, UT-3) to Long Island to hear directly from residents of the impacted area. In November of 2016, the House passed this legislation unanimously as part of H.R. 6303.
State Senator Kenneth LaValle said, “Individuality is very important for communities. Unique Zip Codes for Flanders, Riverside, and Northampton will provide them with the distinction that they deserve. In addition, providing specific zip codes would also eliminate the misdirection of mail, speed delivery and result in more reliable delivery. I fully support efforts to provide these areas with individual zip codes.”
Assemblyman Anthony H. Palumbo said, “I would like to thank the Congressman for his hard work in clarifying this longstanding confusion amongst these towns. As our East End towns become more and more populated, we need to make adjustments such as these to keep up with the growth.”
Assemblyman Fred Thiele said, "Through intergovernmental cooperation, we are making great strides to revitalize the hamlets of Flanders, Northampton, and Riverside. On the state level alone, we have accomplished the repaving of Route 24, special legislation to expedite the Riverside Traffic Circle reconstruction, the approval of long requested traffic lights, the authorization of PILOT payments to reduce tax impacts, and state grants for local economic development projects. The efforts of Congressman Zeldin to obtain zip codes for these hamlets is another critical step to establish the community identity that is necessary to build a prosperous future. I applaud Congressman Zeldin's initiative."
Riverhead Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith says, "I think it's important for Flanders, Northampton and Riverside to have a separate zip code, not just to cut down on the confusion for postal deliveries but to give the area its own identity"
Vince Taldone, Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association President said, “Receiving calls from lost guests or delivery men are an inconvenience experienced by many residents of the area, but having life saving medicine delivered to the right address in the wrong town is a far more serious matter. I am grateful that Congressman Zeldin has recognized the danger to community members that this long unresolved zip code matter causes. Community members have been fighting for years to get this issue resolved and I am grateful that Congressman Zeldin has taken up the battle on our behalf.”