Shut Down Illegal B&B
“Come As You Are Inn”
at 59 Greene Ave, Sayville.
The “Come As You Are Inn” is an illegal bed and breakfast that poses a significant threat to the safety and well-being of an otherwise peaceful Sayville neighborhood.
Despite multiple complaints and unanimous acknowledgment that the operation is illegal, the Town of Islip has failed to take action.
With multiple safety hazards, code violations, and domestic violence incidents associated with this illegal B&B, the community is coming together to urge the town to take immediate action and shut down this dangerous operation.
Warning for Potential Guests.
The Come As You Are Inn is not a B&B, hotel or even a legal AirBnb. It is a single-family home, operating illegally, with safety hazards and code violations. There is no signage out front because the owners are fully aware of the illegality, yet continue to operate this unsanctioned business despite town laws and neighbors’ pleadings.
If you stay here, you’re paying $250+ a night only to:
stay in somebody’s random single-family house in a residential neighborhood
sleep in a 150-year-old building that lacks a fire safety certificate, fire alarms, and fire extinguishers
sleep in a room without proper egress
consume food and alcohol served by random people without a food, beverage, or liquor license
Instead, consider staying at the Lands’ End.
This website is not affiliated in any way with the Lands’ End Motel, but as concerned town residents, we recommend all potential Sayville visitors stay there and not at the illegal Come As You Are Inn.
The Lands’ End is a legitimate business that is also more affordable, significantly more safe, has the infrastructure to run a legal hotel, has Board-of-Health-approved food & beverage options, is closer to the Fire Island Ferries, and supports the local economy of a small, LGBTQ-welcoming village.
FAQ
-
A: The Come As You Are Inn is an illegal bed and breakfast operating in a residential neighborhood in the Town of Islip.
-
A: The Come As You Are Inn poses several safety hazards, including the fact that it operates without the proper permits, serves food and alcohol to guests without a license, rents out rooms without windows, advertises more bathrooms than it has been taxed for, and has a history of multiple domestic violence incidents. The property is also a fire hazard due to egress windows not meeting safety requirements, lack of fire alarms, and no fire escapes.
-
A: Multiple authorities have been contacted, including the Islip Town Attorney, Islip Code Enforcement, Islip Fire Marshal, Suffolk Police, Suffolk Legislator Anthony Piccorello, the State Liquor Authority, Suffolk Board of Health, and Town of Islip Councilman John Lorenzo. However, despite numerous complaints and safety hazards, the Town of Islip has failed to take action.
To show your support, please email Councilman Lorenzo at JLorenzo@Islipny.gov or call him at 631-589-0234.
-
A: The Town of Islip has claimed that COVID-19 has hampered its ability to inspect the property, and code enforcement officials are unable to inspect because the owners do not allow them to enter or inspect the property. Code enforcement officials also say that if the town does not have record of a cash transaction, they cannot prove the business exists (transaction records are property of Suffolk County, not the Town of Islip). Despite all of this, the community is urging the Town of Islip to take action and shut down this dangerous operation.
-
A: You can join the effort to shut down the Come As You Are Inn by spreading the word about its safety hazards and illegal operation, contacting the Town of Islip and urging them to take action, and supporting the community's efforts to protect the safety and well-being of the neighborhood.
Please contact Town of Islip Councilman John Lorenzo at JLorenzo@Islipny.gov or call him at 631-589-0234. John Lorenzo will be running for election to represent Sayville in November 2023.
Background Details
The Come As You Are Inn is a single-family home that has been illegally converted into a B&B. They advertise three rooms on their own website as well as on many popular booking platforms, including Priceline, Expedia, and Travelocity. The owners serve food and alcohol to their guests without food or liquor licenses, rent bedrooms without proper egress, and have not undertaken any safety inspections. They advertise four full bathrooms on their website, but they do not pay taxes for these. While running an illegal B&B, they pay the same taxes as other single-family homes in the area.
Concerned neighbors made multiple respectful attempts to ask the owners, with whom they used to be friends, to stop running this illegal B&B. In response, the owners became belligerent and hostile towards their former friends. The owners insist that these complainants are “homophobic,” which is categorically untrue. Neighborhood residents are committed to protecting the diversity that is an essential and valued part of our community. It is the illegality and hazardousness of this faux commercial operation on a residential block that cannot be tolerated.
Community Impact & Safety
The Come As You Are Inn compromises the safety and well-being of our community. Law enforcement has been called for multiple domestic violence incidents at the property, with the most recent incident occurring on September 17, 2022.
Due to the lack of signage, there have been multiple instances of patrons (some intoxicated) knocking on nearby residences’ doors at 11 pm, trying to get inside. Multiple occurrences of heavily intoxicated guests walking and driving around the house and neighborhood pose a significant safety risk to the community.
There is no signage on the “inn” because the owners are fully aware of the illegality of the operation. The Town Fire Marshall gives fire safety certificates to all legal businesses, but the Come As You Are Inn does not have a fire safety certificate or inspection because it is not legal.
The Come As You Are Inn is a health violation, fire safety violation, town code violation, tax code violation, and disturbance to the neighborhood.
Lack of Response from Town of Islip
We have contacted various authorities, including the Islip Town Attorney, Islip Code Enforcement, Islip Fire Marshal, Suffolk Police, Suffolk Legislator Anthony Piccorello, State Liquor Authority, Suffolk Board of Health, and Town of Islip Councilman John Lorenzo. While there is unanimous acknowledgment from the Town of Islip that this is enforceably illegal, they have taken no action.
The lack of response from the Town of Islip is alarming. We have notified them of the issues since January 2021, but they claimed that COVID hampered their ability to inspect. Additional letters were sent to the town on September 2022 per the suggestion of Suffolk Police after they responded to a domestic violence incident at the Come As You Are Inn.
Code Enforcement has showed up to inspect, but the owners have not permitted them to enter the property. Unfortunately, they maintain that “if 59 Greene Ave doesn’t let us in the house to investigate, we cannot do anything.”
Hyperlocal Impact
The impact on surrounding homes is severe. The Come As You Are Inn’s roster of transient renters compromises the safety of children and patrons of nearby public locations, such as Sayville Public Library, St. John’s Lutheran Church, and the Sayville Learning Center, which are directly across the street. Greene Ave is entirely residentially zoned, and not one public business operates (or is permitted to operate) on the block or any block surrounding the area.
Multiple cars of transient renters are always parked on the street, and Town services (garbage, recycling, police, and fire) are utilized by nonresidents.
The fire hazard posed by the illegal B&B is also significant. Unsuspecting patrons erroneously believe that this is a legitimate business that has been fire inspected. In actuality, the house is from the 1870s, and the egress windows are not more than 24”x24” in sleeping bedrooms. One bedroom is windowless. There are no fire escapes, and the photos on the website indicate there are no fire alarms or extinguishers in any of the bedrooms.
Lastly, the establishment of this illegal B&B has led to a major decrease in property values since its inception. Residents move here because they want a safe, comfortable town - not to live next to an illegal B&B.