Lower Seeks Ordinance to Regulate Foreclosed, Vacant Dwellings

VILLAS – Abandoned and vacant houses that create a local public nuisance in Lower Township will shortly be addressed by Township Council, according to Councilman Thomas Conrad at the March 6 meeting.  
At the request of some residents and the township administrator, the solicitor’s office researched other municipal ordinances that address the problem and found that Middle Township has an ordinance (approved that night) that seemed to fit Lower’s requirements.
Conrad stated, “Middle has one (ordinance) we can tweak; we have to get control of this.”
Robert Belasco, of Stefankiewicz & Belasco, reviewed some provisions of the Middle Township ordinance. All houses that are left vacant in the municipality must be registered with the clerk’s office. The form requires that a local contact person must be identified so that any problems and issues can be addressed with the owner’s representative promptly.
Maintenance of the property must be attended, and if the property is found to be in a poor state of repair, or overgrown, or represents a health risk, the owner can be fined. 
Fines for violations of the ordinance range from $100 to $1,000. Conrad stressed that this does not apply to persons who leave the house for vacations and other purposes temporarily; rather the ordinance pertains to vacant properties that may be under foreclosure or left vacant for long periods of time.
More details will be forthcoming as council members continue to research a possible ordinance.
Councilman David Perry announced that construction on Roseann Avenue, North Cape May is to begin March 15. The first step in the project will be the installation of a 24-inch water main after flooded areas are de-watered. 
Perry stated that there may be some problems as the Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) contractor removes the old pipes, but that they have committed to repaving any street damage at the end of each day during the initial stage. 
The MUA is sending a letter to all affected residents this week with more information and phone numbers in the event a problem needs to be reported.
In other infrastructure news, the county has informed Lower Township that the Lafayette Street Bridge to Cape May, which has been under repair for some time, is slated to reopen as usual within 10 days. 
All new beach access points along the Delaware Bay will be completed by the end of the month, and the northwest side of the Cape May Canal on Route 9 will be resurfaced before the start of the summer season.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.