Council discusses overcrowding issues

The uproarious atmosphere of indignation ignited by members of the John-Witherspoon community at a Borough Council meeting on overcrowding and quality-of-life issues Oct. 3 was replaced last night with a more subdued discussion of ordinance minutiae.

In the time since residents of the neighborhood north of Nassau Street first voiced their concerns at Borough Hall, the Council has sent various staffs into the community to investigate the most salient issues. After examining allegations of abandoned vehicles, littered lawns and overcrowded homes, the Council has found itself handcuffed by Borough Code wording when trying to create solutions.

"We've identified problems," said Borough Mayor Marvin Reed, "and we're going to be honest with you about the problems that we've identified.

"We've begun to get a greater degree of staff interaction," he said, "and developed a greater staff response on what we call 'quality-of-life issues.' "

Fire inspectors and police are seeking ways to more effectively respond to reports of poor living conditions.

Borough fire marshall William Drake said he would like to amend the Provision of Municipal Housing Code so that if fire inspectors find sufficient proof of overcrowding they can bypass a prolonged notification process, and instead move directly to a summons.

If a landlord is inadequately maintaining services, Drake said he wants to be able to take him directly to court.

But Drake said his department still confronts the problem of being able to prove there is overcrowding in a home.

"Short of getting a search warrant to go in the middle of the night to count heads," said Drake, "we need to find a way sufficient to the municipal court to prove overcrowding."

Drake said he finds clues such as multiple mattresses and locks on doors — indicating that more than one family may be renting the house — that prove overcrowding.

He added that he is working with Borough officials to prepare documentation to create a defendable ordinance addressing overcrowding.

Though dealing with what might appear to be small technicalities, the Borough's efforts at rewording ordinances indicate a concrete step toward aesthetic, health and safety improvements in the John-Witherspoon neighborhood.

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"We may be on the cutting edge of trying to deal with it," said Reed about overcrowding, "but apparently it's become a growing concern in other parts of New Jersey and the United States."

"And as we said before," he added, "rather than create a situation where recent immigrants are taken advantage of, we're dealing with quality-of-life issues."