16th Avenue and Beach Terrace in Longport.
LONGPORT – The Board of Commissioners is seeking public input on possible changes to the borough’s rental ordinance, which could limit the number of days property owners can rent their homes.
The borough has been discussing changing the ordinance to limit very-short-term rentals secured through online websites, such as HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb.
Currently, the borough requires a rental certificate of occupancy to ensure properties have smoke and CO2 detectors. Local real estate agents who rent out properties on behalf of property owners are diligent about obtaining occupancy certificates when a new tenant moves in, but homeowners renting their properties through online vacation rental sites, may not be aware of the requirement. The rental certificate fee is $75 and the penalty for non-compliance is $500.
Solicitor Pacifico “Pat” Agnellini informed the board that he met with Commissioner Jim Leeds to discuss revisions, but that no decisions have been made at this time.
“We will meet again next week and will keep you advised of the progress,” he wrote in a memo to the board.
Agnellini advised the board to assure the public that no changes would be made to the borough existing ordinance until after the summer season “to provide some stability for the rental market since the summer rentals have already begun,” he said.
Acccording to Shiela Stone of Longport Seaview condominium complex, it is sometimes difficult to tell if visitors are relatives or friends of the property owners.
Stone said management of the complex tries to be welcoming to visitors and understands if the municipality wants to further limit the timeframe for rentals.
“Most people let us know when someone is coming,” she said. “But last year, we had friends and family that we didn’t recognize.”
Agnellini said he always thought rentals in Longport were limited to 30-day occupancies, however, the ordinance does not recite a time limit. Airbnb and other vacation rental sites sometimes rent out large homes for parties on weekends, which could cause noise and parking problems.
“The struggle I have is that people should be able to do what they want with their properties,” Mayor Nicholas Russo said. “We do not want to over-regulate or make things difficult.”
Russo said the municipality should only be concerned about “the health, welfare and safety” of the public.
Russo asked Stone to put her recommendations in writing and said the public can be heard on the matter at the commissioners’ next work session being held 9 a.m. Thursday, April 4.
In other business, the board discussed how to increase the availability of parking during the summer season.
Under consideration is a strip of land along Beach Terrace between 15th and 16th avenues that could accommodate parking during beach hours.
Parking could be limited to several hours, but parking overnight would be prohibited, engineer Richard Carter said.
“We want to avoid people parking there 24-7,” he said.
Two handicapped parking spaces have already been designated for a concrete pad at 16th Avenue, but adding additional parking along that strip of land next to the bulkhead is an issue the commission should decide, he said.
Carter also said he needs to research if a section of the land is deed restricted for recreation.
“It could be quasi-recreational if you put in public parking and marry it to getting people to the water,” Russo said.
“It is a residential area and will add traffic to Beach Terrace,” Carter said. “There’s more research that needs to be done.”
Carter also recommended speaking with residents who live in the area and checking with other government entities, such as the NJ DEP or CAFRA.
The borough is currently seeking approval from the DEP for its Public Access Plan, which is designed to ensure the public’s right to access tidal waters and the shoreline for fishing, boating and recreation is not infringed.
Carter said he fears the state could require shore towns to allow beach-block parking.
To ready Longport’s plan, see https://www.nj.gov/dep/cmp/access/mpaplandraft.htm
