JENNIFER GUSTAVSON FILE PHOTO | Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko with 2nd District Councilwoman Jane Bonner.

Sun reporter Jennifer Gustavson is reporting in real time from Tuesday night’s Brookhaven Town Board meeting. Here are the updates:

5:08 p.m. Tonight’s Brookhaven Town Board meeting is now starting.

5:10 p.m. Tonight’s agenda includes public hearings to discuss the redevelopment of the former Coram Swap and Shop and to eliminate a newly created commercial property registration fee and to rollback residential tree clearing fee hikes.

5:21 p.m. Town Board is now voting on resolution agenda.

5:22 p.m. Town Supervisor Mark Lesko’s bill to accept an environmental study of the controversial Mt. Sinai Village Centre project is now being discussed.

5:23 p.m. A Mount Sinai resident is asking the Town Board to hold off on voting on the bill until after the town’s Route 25A Corridor study is finalized.

5:25 p.m. Mr. Lesko said his bill is a procedural resolution in order for the town to receive comments from the Suffolk County Planning Commission about the plan.

5:28 p.m. In June, Developer Paul Elliott, president of Medford-based Soundview Realty Group, agreed to scale down the anchor store to 75,000-square feet and increase a natural buffer by 30 feet in order to conform with the draft Route 25A Corridor study, which is expected to be finalized in December.

5:30 p.m. Another Mount Sinai resident, Bruce Madonna, says he’s in favor of the plan and opposes any delay in the project moving forward because the area is “starving for a commercial tax base.”

5:36 p.m. Mount Sinai resident Lynne Edsall says she also opposes the environmental study’s acceptance because the land-use plan hasn’t been finalized.

5:49 p.m. Town Board approves to accept the environmental study of the Mt. Sinai Village Centre plan 6-1, with 2nd District Councilwoman Jane Bonner voting no.

6:04 p.m. Tom Talbot addressing the Town Board about a resolution to give $10,000 from the Caithness Community Benefit Fund to the Longwood Alliance to help fund additional war monuments at Bartlett Pond Park. Town Board unanimously approves the acceptance of funds.

6:08 p.m. Public comment portion of tonight’s meeting is now underway. The Town Board will resume voting on the resolution agenda following tonight’s public hearings.

6:16 p.m. Coram Civic Association president Erma Gluck is thanking the Town Board for moving forward with the redevelopment plans of the former United Artists Movie Theater property and the former Coram Swap and Shop.

6:18 p.m. Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker is asking the Town Board on the status of replacing broken bus shelters along Whiskey Road in Ridge. Ms. Bonner said she opposes Ms. Anker addressing the Town Board during the public comment portion of the meeting because she’s running for re-election.

6:32 p.m. Public comment ends. Public hearings up next.

6:33 p.m. The Town Board is now holding an anti-nepotism public hearing to discuss the hiring of John Byrne’s cousin. Mr. Byrne is 4th District Coucilwoman Connie Kepert’s legislative aid and a Democratic Committeeman.

6:34 p.m. Mr. Byrne’s cousin, James Byrne, is seeking a security guard position in the town’s Public Safety Division. The job pays $11 per hour, according to town documents.

6:35 p.m. Town Board approves without discussion to hire James Byrne, with Ms. Bonner and 6th District Councilman Dan Panico abstaining.

6:39 p.m. Up later tonight: public hearings to discuss the redevelopment of the former Coram Swap and Shop and to eliminate a newly created commercial property registration fee and to rollback residential tree clearing fee hikes.

6:43 p.m. The Town Board is now holding a public hearing to amend the town’s “First-Time Homebuyers of Newly Constructed Homes Exemption.”

6:45 p.m. Since 2001, the town has issued a total of 73 tax exemptions, which represents a collective savings of $1,200 to property owners, according to town documents.

6:48 p.m. Mr. Lesko said the little amount of savings is because the town’s portion of a homeowner’s tax bill is only 7 percent. The Town Board unanimously approves extending the program.

6:52 p.m. The Town Board is now a holding a public hearing to discuss a redevelopment plan for the former Coram Swap and Shop.

6:53 p.m. Sands Point-based Mavis Development Corp. is proposing to build three apartments above a 7,500-square foot retail store on the blighted 1.2-acre lot located on Middle Country Road next to the Trinity United Methodist Church.

6:54 p.m. The property is currently zoned A1 and J2. The developer is looking to upzone to J6 in order to build the mixed use project. The Coram Civic Association has said its in favor of the redevelopment plan.

6:55 p.m. A resident who lives behind the site says the developer has included his drive way into the plan.

7:00 p.m. The developer’s attorney said he’ll change the site plan to take out the residential driveway.

7:03 p.m. Mr. Panico said the home located on the property is the historic Norton Home built in 1670. Mr. Lesko said he’d like to hold the public hearing open for 10 days in order to touch-base with the Coram Civic Association about the house.

7:06 p.m. The Town Board agrees to hold the public hearing open in order to determine if the home is historic.

7:07 p.m. A joint public hearing to eliminate a newly created commercial property registration fee and to rollback residential tree clearing fee hikes is up next.

7:11 p.m. Town planner Jeff Kasner says a new analysis of the residential tree clearing fees shows the labor cost is more in-line with the original $500 fee. In December, the Town Board approved to increase the fee to $800.

7:14 p.m. Mr. Lesko, who sponsored the fee hike, says he will support rolling back the fee in light of the new analysis.

7:15 p.m. Residents are now addressing the Town Board about the fee.

7:16 p.m. If residents wish to remove trees from their property in order to install such structures as a swimming pool or a deck, they now have to pay the town $800 — up from $500 — and $1,600 if they exceed the clearing limit, which is a $600 increase.

7:20 p.m. Fourth District Coucilwoman Connie Kepert says current town law is unfair to homeowners whose properties are already cleared of trees.

7:27 p.m. The Town Board unanimously approves to rollback the tree clearing fees.

7:46 p.m. The Town Board is now discussing eliminating a newly created commercial property registration fee.

7:48 p.m. Mr. Panico is sponsoring a bill to eliminate a commercial property registration fee that was created by the town in order to fund a new fire inspection requirement mandated by the state.

7:57 p.m. Mr. Lesko asks to leave the hearing open in order to explore other options on how the town can fund new part-time workers to conduct the fire inspections. Building Commissioner Marty Haley says he needs about $200,000 to fund 10 workers to conduct the inspections. The town has received about $75,000 from commercial property owners since June.

8:03 p.m. Chief Fire Marshal John Dembek and Mr. Haley have said a $50 annual fee would be necessary so that the town’s Division of Fire Prevention could hire enough staff to conduct the inspections, which is now required by the state to occur once every three years.

8:04 p.m. Mr. Lesko asks to hold another hearing in order to look into a new method of determining the fee and/or waiving the fee to certain groups. Wading River Historical Society president Sid Bail says the fee is a hardship to his organization.

8:11 p.m. The Town Board is now back to voting on the resolution agenda.

8:24 p.m. The Town Board meeting is wrapping up. Thanks for following our live blog!