WILDWOOD — One rowdy house down, about two dozen to go.
On Sept. 24 the city revoked the mercantile license for one if its infamous rowdy houses, located on the 200 block of Glenwood Avenue for at least nine months.
The case marked the first time that Wildwood took this step of revoking a mercantile license for a rental property over noise and alcohol complaints, said Brian Neill, the city’s building maintenance inspector.
Hearing Officer Anthony Harvatt also ruled that Nila Castro, the owner of the property, must forfeit a $3,000 bond she had to post in 2008 for previous complaints about renting her rooming house to rowdy tenants.
The city has been cracking down on dilapidated properties this summer over safety and aesthetics concerns with a revamped rowdy house ordinance. A ramped up ordinance specifically for the enforcement problem properties targets the owners of the properties who rent to rowdy vacationers as a means to cut down noise and alcohol complaints.
Municipal Prosecutor Mary D’Arcy Bittner drafted the ordinance, which encompasses all types of properties including apartments, hotels, motels, condominiums and rental homes. The new law includes a range of penalties and an appointed Hearing Officer to specifically handle rowdy house cases.
Commissioner Bill Davenport, who oversees the department of public safety, said the city has a “zero tolerance” police when it comes to rowdy houses and underage drinking. He said the new law will hold property owners and managers fully responsible for the condi-tion of their properties as well as the behavior of their tenants.
Wildwood Police Chief Steven Long added that citizen involvement is essential for the police to continue to combat disruptive behavior.
Mayor Ernie Troano Jr. said that he’s encouraged by the success of the strict rowdy house rules and neighbors endeavoring to return peace to their neighborhoods. He largely attributes the issues to absentee landlords and underage binge drinking.
“It is out of control and the damage done to the properties is unbelievable,” Troiano has said. “If these landlords can’t control their properties, we want them closed. We don’t want you here.”
In the Glenwood Avenue case, police responded to complaints at the rooming house 27 times in 2008 and 29 times this year.
Neil said the property on Glenwood Avenue was occupied by teenage summer tenants who were forced to leave after he declared the building uninhabitable Aug. 15 after identifying several fire-code violations.
Neil described that property as one of the “worst offenders.”
Despite arguments by, Richard Carlucci, Castro’s lawyer, that revoking the license would impose a financial hardship on her, the hearing officer ruled in favor of the police and surrounding neighbors.
Carlucci could not be reached for comment. The next rowdy-house hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2.
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