{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://zeldin.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/flanders-riverside-northampton-closer-new-zip-code", "Flanders, Riverside, Northampton closer to new ZIP code", "2016-12-21", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "NY", "Lee Zeldin", "Z000017", "zeldin.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Residents and legislators in three Southampton hamlets are optimistic that the latest effort to give those communities unique ZIP codes will end years of misdirected mail and delayed medication deliveries.\nFlanders, Northampton and Riverside share the 11901 ZIP code with Riverhead Town. According to a 2015 survey by the Flanders, Riverside & Northampton Community Association, there are about 50 similar street names in the three hamlets and Riverhead. As a result, the name overlap has caused mix-ups and delayed deliveries everything from mail to medications for seniors. On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed a bill approving the change. There will be no shared street names among the three hamlets with the new ZIP codes, so mail and packages would be easier to sort correctly at post offices and then arrive at the correct locations.\nSouthampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said he is happy about the bill\u2019s progress, noting that for many residents in the three hamlets, the issue also involved a simple need \u2014 to stand out as their own community.\n\u201cIt\u2019s really important to them,\u201d Schneiderman said. \u201cThey\u2019ve had issues with mail going to the wrong address, but it\u2019s much deeper. At the core, identity is a part of it. I\u2019m hopeful that they will be able to get what they have wanted for literally decades.\u201d\nThe U.S. Postal Service has traditionally been reluctant to change ZIP codes based on community identity. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said the federal agency denied his August 2015 request to give each of the three hamlets its own ZIP code. He said he appealed the decision but the postal service had not responded.\nRon Fisher, president of the Flanders, Riverside & Northampton Community Association, said he was thrilled by the prospect of the legislation coming to pass and plans to contact Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) about passing the bill in the Senate.\u00a0Rowhan Baptiste, Gillibrand\u2019s deputy press secretary, said the senator supports the bill \u201cand is encouraging her colleagues in the Senate to swiftly pass the Long Island ZIP code legislation and send the bill to the president to sign into law.\u201d\nVince Taldone, 56, a Flanders resident and treasurer with the association, said he is \u201chappy that it\u2019s gotten this far,\u201d but is waiting to see whether the Senate approves the measure.\nTaldone said he has had friends who have tried to find his house, but that the Riverhead ZIP code that comes up in some GPS guidance systems has gotten them lost.\n\u201cThat\u2019s not such a big deal, but when people tell me they don\u2019t get their medication, that\u2019s a big deal,\u201d Taldone said.\nTHREE\u2019S COMPANY\n11901\nZIP code for the hamlets of Flanders, Northampton and Riverside, plus Riverhead Town\n55\nUnused ZIP codes available for future use\n50\nApproximate number of duplicate and/or similarly named streets in Riverhead and Southampton towns", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://zeldin.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/flanders-riverside-northampton-closer-new-zip-code"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3063140213489532, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}