Residents who want to rent out their condos or rooms via sites like Airbnb may be restricted in the future, now that the North Bergen Board of Commissioners has introduced an ordinance banning short-term rentals. The ordinance will go to a final vote at the Aug. 24 meeting.
Also at the commissioners’ July 13 meeting, they discussed the hiring of a new town judge, voted on an agreement to buy buildings from the departing countywide Schools of Technology campus, and preserved an area of town as wetlands.
Penalizing Airbnb users
The commissioners voted on a schedule of fees to penalize property owners who rent out their apartment or condo for fewer than 31 days.
People in the area frequently use websites like Airbnb and HomeAway to rent out their residence for $40 to $100 or more per night, luring travelers who want to save money when visiting the New York City area for a short time.
The ordinance states that people may not rent out their residence for fewer than 31 days, or face a penalty. Violators will be fined $750 for the first offense and/or 10 days in jail. For the second violation the fine will be between $750 and $1,200 and/or 20 days in jail. For the third violation and any after that, the fine is between $1,200 and $2,500 and/or 30 days in jail.
Similar laws restricting short-term rentals were passed in Union City in the last year, and in New York City as well.
Officials said at the meeting that there are safety, health, and property concerns when unknown visitors stay for short periods of time.
“Neighbors don’t know who’s moving into the area,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco at the meeting. “People rent out the unit and are only there to party. There’s no responsibility.”
He added, “We know Union City had problems, and we’re starting to do something about it too. We have one chronic problem with vans of different people coming to a home saying that they’re relatives [of the owners] from the northwest.”
Sacco added, “It’s a safety concern. [Short-term rentals] might work in some towns, but in our situation it doesn’t.”
New judge
At the meeting, town officials voted for the new municipal court judge, James Coviello, to serve a term of three years.
The town recently hired him due to the retirement of Joseph Romano, who will retire from the court Monday, Aug. 1.
Buys three school buildings
Also at the meeting, the commissioners executed an agreement for the town and the Board of Education to possibly buy three buildings from the Hudson County Schools of Technology, as the latter will be moving from a North Bergen home to its new campus in Secaucus in 2018. The Schools of Technology is a countywide public high school
The purchases are for 8301 and 8511 Tonnelle Ave., and 2100 85th Street, but no sale has been made yet, according to town spokesman Phil Swibinski. According to Swibinski, there are other potential buyers, and the Board of Education is still checking the buildings to see if they are the right fit. They would be used in the school system.
“The buildings are owned by the county, and they will be selling, but it’s unclear if the township and Board of Education will buy [them]. The town and the board are exploring possibilities of buying it,” Swibinski said.
New wetlands preserve
The commissioners voted to sell an empty city-owned lot on 8001 West Side Ave. to Doremus Newark LLC to be preserved as a wetland. Preserving a wetland prevents someone from building on or harming the area, and allows for animals to live in a natural habitat.
Doremus Newark is a company that buys and preserves wetlands.
“This company works to preserve wetlands, and they asked North Bergen if we wanted to help encumber the property as wetlands,” Township Attorney Thomas Kobin said. Officials sold the land to the company in order to help preserve it.
New truck, new parking rules, new meeting date
Officials also authorized the Woodcliff Wastewater Treatment facility to submit a Treatment Works Approval to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for their approval on all waste projects. The TWA regulates the construction of industrial and domestic waste. The program aims to protect the water from increased pollutants.
The Township of North Bergen also purchased a new garbage truck for $10,000 that the North Bergen Municipal Utilities Authority were no longer using.
The council adopted an ordinance that requires those with commercial vehicles to obtain a residential parking permit if they are parking them consistently in their driveway or near their house. A commercial vehicle is used by a person hired by a company to transport work materials, people, and more – including commuter vans, limousines, taxicabs, food vending trucks, school buses, and tow trucks.
“Some people are using commercial vehicles as private vehicles,” Sacco said. “We are trying to better refine commercial vehicle parking by adding penalties.”
The officials also resolved the reschedule of the next meeting from Wednesday, Aug. 17 to the new date of Wednesday Aug. 24 at 11 a.m.
SIDEBAR
Three new parking machines can issue permits overnight
Hours after the July 13 council meeting, North Bergen officials unveiled three new overnight machines that issue parking permits for guests during the hours when the Parking Authority is closed. Normally, residents have resident permits and can get visitor permits for guests.
The machines are at the Parking Authority building on 4255 Bergen Turnpike, and at both the uptown and downtown libraries. The Main Library is located at 8411 Bergenline Ave., and the Kennedy Branch is located on Kennedy Boulevard.
“Because the town is linear we felt it’d be a good idea to have one in each of the libraries, uptown and downtown, and one here in the middle,” Commissioner Diana Madrid said at the Parking Authority meter opening. “We wanted an option for residents if guests come unexpectedly.”
The meters come on when the Parking Authority building closes at 5 p.m., and can issue overnight permits for guests from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. the next day. Users put in their license plate numbers and pay $5 for each overnight permit.
“There’s always a problem with the office hours, because people have guests that come late,” Mayor Sacco said. He said this will make it easier for residents or guests to pick up a permit.
“These are not to be abused,” Sacco added, “It will know if a New York license plate has parked overnight too many times in a row, so no one can overuse it.”