Maintenance Rules For Commercial Properties Approved In Bernards Township

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Residents and township officials voiced their support for a property maintenance ordinance focused on non-residential properties.

The Township Committee unanimously passed Ordinance 2603 with a 4-0 roll call vote on Tuesday.

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Mayor Ana Duarte McCarthy said the ordinance "establishes minimum standards governing the maintenance, appearance, and condition of premises situated in Bernards Township and excludes residential property."

She said the ordinance is intended to prevent conditions that "would depreciate or tend to depreciate the value of adjacent or surrounding properties."

Several residents supported the ordinance while drawing a distinction between commercial and residential enforcement.

Kirsten Light of Victoria Drive said, "I think that some of the township properties that are non-residential in nature have become a blight on our community."

She added that she thinks "it puts us in a position where we're forced to do something that we may not want to do."

Nancy D'Andrea of Vanderveer Drive said, "I am for the ordinance. I think it's a great decision. 17 out of 21 towns already have it. I'm surprised we're not one of them, so that has to get changed."

D'Andrea said she opposed extending the ordinance to residential properties, citing the township's size and staffing needs.

Joanne Kleinle of Riverside Drive said, there are "two properties subject to the complaints of neighbors due to failure of the owners to maintain 150 Allen Road and 99 Lord Sterling, two properties and two different owners."

She said the ordinance "is getting ahead of the potential problem."

"I believe we're all in favor of a clean, safe community and against overdevelopment. And in my opinion, this statute is a protection to ensure both."

There was one resident, Todd Edelstein, who was against the ordinance, saying "it's a bad ordinance."

"You're gonna have to hire more people to enforce this ordinance," said Edelstein.

Township Attorney John Belardo said the ordinance was not new in concept and had parallels in nearby towns.

He said a similar ordinance in Bedminster Township "has been utilized quite effectively in the last four years against commercial property owners that have failed to maintain their properties," and said a Bridgewater ordinance has been in effect "for at least over 20 years."

Committeewoman Jennifer Asay said her support followed research into how similar ordinances work in other municipalities.

Deputy Mayor John Tompkins said, "100% support it."

"I think we have a collective responsibility to maintain a decent, well-kept community. It maintains property values," said Tompkins. "It keeps the community an attractive place to live, and for commercial developers to come in or ones that have been here already, and just to let it deteriorate that has that bleeds out into the rest of the community. It has such a negative effect, so I think it needs to be addressed."

McCarthy said the ordinance "is a step to protect neighborhood aesthetics and resident safety and property values while balancing the administrative workload of local code enforcement; hence it is focused on non-residential properties."

She said residential properties will continue to be handled through existing local codes, including zoning, fire and health codes.

The committee then moved to adopt the ordinance.

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