Pixabay
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – The city’s amended short-term rental ordinance was adopted Thursday, June 8. City officials said it would be a “beta test” this summer and could be revised by the shoulder season.
The ordinance sets the regulations for property owners to rent their properties on a short-term basis, which is less than 30 days. Residential properties containing one bedroom or studio apartments can be rented for a minimum of one night and the mercantile license fee is $500 per year; two bedroom units can be rented for a minimum of two nights and the license fee is $750 per year; and three bedroom or more units can be rented for a minimum of three nights and the license fee is $1,000 per year. Properties cannot be rented to anyone under age 21, and renters must abide by all city ordinances regarding noise, trash and parking. Violations can result in the loss of a mercantile license.
Property owners are required to post the occupancy load determined by a Code Enforcement Department inspection. If the property owner is not a local resident, they must designate an authorized agent who can act on their behalf during emergencies 24/7.
Numerous residents spoke during a public hearing on an amendment that reduced the minimum stay for a three-bedroom unit to three nights from the original five nights contained in the ordinance when it was first introduced.
Several residents said they did not attend the first public hearing on the ordinance because they thought the five-night minimum was a decent compromise. One resident said the original public hearing was attended mostly by short-term rental owners who “twisted your arm” to reduce the minimum stay to three nights.
“The outcry was bigger from the rental owners than the residents who have to put up with it every night,” the resident said.
Others commended the commissioners for listening to the public while “contentious issue” was being debated.
North Beach resident Richard Gober said he finds it “astonishing” that people are purchasing $500,000 homes just to rent them on a short-term basis.
Susan Wegman said there’s a nine-bedroom home on her block that is hosting as many as “23 mostly young men drinking beer” although they are fairly well behaved, she said.
“There’s a different set of a huge number people there every week,” she said. “That’s not a neighborhood, that’s not a community, and that’s not why we live here.”
Brenda Dowd, president of the Ventnor Business Association, asked the commissioners to consider making the ordinance seasonal and loosening restrictions for the shoulder season.
“We want them here, if they can’t come to Ventnor, they are going to go to Atlantic City. They won’t eat in our restaurants, they won’s shop in our stores,” Dowd said, asking them to reduce the minimum stay on three-bedroom units to two or even one night. “We want to entice those visitors to come and support our businesses when we most need them.”
St. Leonard’s Association President Bill Sill said his group prefers longer stays, “but we can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“We would really like to see is that the council consider this to be a beta test and conduct a review at the end of summer to determine if the ordinance is working as anticipated and be able to tweak it by the lessons learned. That review should include the ability for the public to provide input from the neighbors who have interaction with the short-term rentals,” he said.
He suggested the ordinance be reviewed annually.
Paul Giegerich who rents one of the units where he lives said the key is enforcement.
“Those who are violators should be regulated and punished,” he said, also recommending the commissioners consider establishing another class for owner-occupied homes. When property owners are on site, there are fewer problems, he said.
Mayor Lance Landgraf encouraged residents to report problems to the police so data can be compiled that can help with enforcement.
“If there are numerous violations, they won’t get a mercantile license next year. They get shut down and don’t get to operate that business,” he said.
Problems reported, such as noise and rowdy behavior, would be enforced under the city’s nuisance ordinances, which could require the owner to go to court and possibly pay a fine.
Multiple infractions would result in the loss of the mercantile license, Commissioner Tim Kriebel said.
“But we need to have that data to track them,” he said.
Beth Kwart, who operates numerous short-term rental properties, suggested reducing the minimum stay to one night for two bedroom units and two nights for three-bedroom units from October to April.
“Families come into town to visit their families for the holidays and may be traveling for just one night,” and if properties are not available in Ventnor, they would go to Atlantic City.
Jeff Jaskol, who lives in the more densely populated North Beach area of the city, said he is in favor of a five-night minimum stay for larger units.
“We are a neighborhood, not a party town. We don’t want big blow-out parties. It’s not fun to wake up at 3 a.m. with 40 people coming home,” he said.
Although the process of adopting the ordinance might lead people to believe Ventnor really has serious problems with short-term rentals, the city has not received many complaints, Kriebel said. During Memorial Day weekend there were only three complaints out of the 400 short-term rental units.
Others said the ordinance does nothing to deal with the city’s parking problems. One woman suggested limiting the number of parking passes distributed to short-term rental properties. Others suggested requiring security cameras and decibel readers and increasing the minimum age.
Landgraf reminded everyone that short-term rental agreements made prior to adoption of the ordinance would be grandfathered for the summer.
All three commissioners agreed to consider reviewing the ordinance prior to the shoulder season, carving out another class for four-bedroom units or above that would require a minimum stay of five nights, consider an annual review, having camera and sound equipment, and upping the minimum age requirement for a rental.
Commissioner Maria Mento said there were many good comments from residents and short-term rental owners during several public hearings on the matter.
“This ordinance was built around a lot of those comments,” she said.
The ordinance was adopted unanimously.
In other business, the mayor said he sent a letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requesting a 90-day review period for an environmental impact statement released for offshore wind energy projects. BOEM is currently holding public hearings to solicit input from the public on the 1,400 page report.
“We all support alternative wind projects, but not one that will damage our marine environment, views and vistas of our shore,” Landgraf said. “The report says there will be a negative impact on Ventnor at the Pier and other historical properties in the city.”
Copyright Mediawize, LLC 2023
