Brick Council Approves Ban On Short-Term Home Rentals

BRICK, NJ — For residents of Jaywood Manor Drive, summer weeks have become a parade of parties, with dozens of vehicles sporting out-of-state license plates jamming the streets. Some weekends, there were weddings or other events.

None of it has been welcome, however.

A home on the street "was used as a event venue," Brian Clark, who lives on Jaywood Manor Drive, told the Brick Township Council on Tuesday, before it voted unanimously to approve an ordinance to ban short-term rentals in much of the township. "This is a 15-home cul-de-sac. It's not meant for this kind of business."

"I didn't move to a dead end so I can watch cars going up and down the street," said Daniel Ciarcia, another Jaywood Manor Drive resident. He described the parties as loud and drawing dozens of people. There were a lot of weddings at the home, whose owner lives out of state.

"There was a video shoot for some erotic video," Ciarcia said. "She (the owner) cannot get the renters under control."

Joe Mecca, who owns a home on Princeton Avenue that overlooks the Metedeconk River, urged the council to table the ordinance. In an email read by business administrator Joanne Bergin, Mecca said the ordinance punishes those who rent responsibly to responsible people.

"We turned away a lucrative contract with 'Jersey Shore,' " Mecca said, speaking of the MTV television show. "We rely on renting to pay property taxes, the maintenance and utility bills."

"This ordinance does nothing to prevent a large bash," he said. "It does nothing. The ordinance as proposed is not going to stop selfish people."

The ordinance, which was introduced two weeks ago, bars rentals of fewer than 30 days except for legally operating hotels, motels, rooming and boarding houses, and bed-and-breakfast inns. It includes an exception for homes on the barrier island but imposes a minimum of 7 days per stay from May 15 to Oct. 15.

The ban initially had applied to owner-occupied homes where they are renting a room while living in their home, but that provision was removed before Tuesday evening.

The ordinance came about after four years of trying to address issues through a so-called "animal house" ordinance, which imposed penalties on landlords who rented to tenants who were convicted of crimes such as drug distribution. While that had helped the town control some issues, the growing trend of internet-based rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO had created a new set of problems that weren't easily addressed, township attorney Scott Kenneally said.

It left residents such as Patricia Campbell, who lives off Princeton Avenue along the Metedeconk River, and Tom Fortier, who lives in the Baywood section, making phone calls to police who could do little more than enforce the noise ordinance, or to code enforcement, which was not open on weekends when the problems were happening.

"Post-Sandy a whole lot has changed," said Fortier, noting that people snapped up Sandy-damaged properties, didn't necessarily bother to raise them, and had been using them solely as vacation rentals.

"There's crazy parties going on in these houses and some are renting without a CO (certificate of occupancy," he said. "It's a quality-of-life issue for most of us."

Campbell said the landlord in her neighborhood has rented to a revolving door of partiers, who shoot off fireworks and have no regard for the neighbors. The home has a sleeping capacity of eight people but the ad says it sleeps 12, and far more arrive for the parties.

"Our year-round home is not enjoyable in the summer," she said.

The hearing exposed a conflict among neighbors in the Midstreams section. Kristian Calibuso, the senior vice president of Trinity Solar, purchased a home on Manorside Drive over the summer and in addition to renting it out, said he has used the home himself for gatherings with family and friends. He said neighbors have harassed him over being in his swimming pool in the evening, and have taken photos of him and his friends. Someone even called and complained when his trash cans were not removed from the street by 6 o'clock, he said.

Neighbors complained that most of the people using the property had been renters, and complained of drivers speeding into the area with no regard for it being a residential neighborhood, and of people wandering around the neighborhood while they attended parties.

"He has turned it into a hotel," Robert Mangano said. "He has rights but what had taken place is nothing like renting to responsible people."

"This is a problem townwide," said Colleen Leone, who lives near Calibuso. "People buy a second home then quickly turn it into a money-making proposition."

Darcy Seiler, who rents out her home in the Cape Breton section, said one of the issues is some areas that started out as short-term rental areas have shifted to primarily full-time residential neighborhoods.

"Rentals bring in money to the community," she said. "I think there should be a better way to police it."

Mecca and Mark Cassidy, who rents out a home on Kingfisher Court, urged the council to consider other options such as a hefty fine for problems.

"There's a $5,000 fine imposed in Belmar" for problem rentals, Mecca said, and suggested homeowners and renters could be required to post a bond for large events, like the weddings cited at on Jaywood Manor Drive.

Councilman Paul Mummolo urged them to contact him in the coming week so ideas could be discussed to find a middle ground for responsible landlords.

"We don’t mean to harm the people who have been responsible but this has become a serious quality of life issue," Mummolo said.

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