Blogfinger

Paul Goldfinger,  Editor @Blogfinger.net

During prior discussions of Airbnb’s  in OG, we learned that the practice of short term rentals is alive and well in the Grove with over 200 listings.  We also learned that many of those who live near such rental units are unhappy because those renters don’t often consider the welfare of those who actually live in those neighborhoods.   There is the perception that the quality of life around such rental units may be compromised due to noise, lack of consideration of neighborhood residents, ignorance of Grovarian customs, carelessness with garbage, parking glut, and parties with crowding.

Here is the latest from the Township.  It is from the minutes of their meeting on February 10, 2020:  Mayor Lane presiding.

The Committee discussed the hotel/motel occupancy tax. Ms. Rizzo suggested that the focus for now be on the hotels and motels with the Airbnb’s being considered at a later time. The bulk of the revenue would come from about nine hotels in the Township. Mr. Williams stated that he spoke to the NJ Division on Taxation and they clarified that this tax is referred to as an occupancy tax and not a hospitality tax.

Dr. Brantley asked why the Airbnb’s are not being considered now.

Mr. Gadaleta stated that a meeting is being set up to discuss how to identify Airbnb’s so that the tax could be charged. Mr. Anthony added that keeping up with the inspections and identification of Airbnb’s will be more of a challenge. Mr. Williams stated that the problem with doing just the hotels and motels is that the Committee would be imposing an additional tax on the people who doing things properly in terms of inspections and registration. There was discussion on whether or not this is an additional tax or merely a collection of tax by the Township that is already being paid to the state.

Mr. Gadaleta will prepare a report to clarify some of the questions about the tax.

During the public portion of the meeting, no one in the audience had anything to say about this topic.

Feel free to use the Blogfinger comments section to talk about this subject.  There is nowhere else that such an open dialogue can take place.  Where are the hotels, B&B’s, etc. on this topic?  Don’t they have a voice?   They are not listed on the OG Chamber of Commerce members list.

Here is a link to a 2018 poll which we ran on Blogfinger about citizen opinions regarding Airbnb’s in town:

Airbnb poll in OG

There are other BF articles on this subject.   Just do a search in the box at the upper right corner of our home page.  Type in “airbnb”

EDITORIAL NOTE:   This topic is about more than just Airbnb’s.   The Township, it seems, cares only about the revenue to be derived from Ocean Grove. It is the old “cash cow” syndrome. They don’t give a damn about the quality of life of those residents who live here.

You can tell from their choice of topics relative to the Airbnb issue, which is about much more than taxes.      These Neptuners are shameless in the way that they ignore the people of the Grove.

LEON REDBONE   “Reaching for Someone and Not Finding Anyone There.”

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Are Airbnb renters causing density problems?  Blogfinger.net photo. ©

Will all those Airbnb renters spoil our views and thus our quality of life in OG?  Blogfinger photo. ©

The letter, below, comes from an anonymous source whom we shall call “Crowded in the Grove.” He titles his inquiry “Where is our Community?”  We are reposting this article because there will soon be renewed interest in this topic. (2018)

“The impact of transient summer rentals has all but eliminated our town as a community, and we are just at the brink of becoming just one big motel. Having lived here for many years, I feel like Rip Van Winkle returning from a deep sleep, not recognizing any vestige of what once was Ocean Grove; in just a matter of two to three years, a drastic change has occurred.

“Neighbors  no longer exist, as weekly and daily transients have taken their place on both sides of my house. I no longer have neighbors with whom I can make small talk to but people I have to be suspicious of, because I do not know who they are, as they have become weekly “ships in the night.”  Many of my original neighbors have moved due to the fact that they did to want to live in a revolving motel atmosphere which these homeowners have created.

“These crammed rentals are also part of the parking problems in the Grove as they sometimes have 5 or 6 cars, and they demonstrate little regard for the the residents.

Editor’s Note:   This is a fascinating inquiry, because Airbnb has created a business model that lets any homeowner turn their house or condo or apartment into an instant make-shift hotel.

A quick (2017) survey of Airbnb.com reveals that there are currently 87 ads for Ocean Grove with daily fees of $90-$600 per night.

The homeowner supplies some amenities, but that varies.  It could include towels, linens, and soap. Two links below show some of the listings:

We don’t know if our writer is correct about the prevalence and consequences of this phenomenon in OG, but given the already tight density situation here, anything that might further cause deterioration in quality of life for residents interests us at Blogfinger.  I am a homeowner and have not (yet) noticed this situation, but most of my neighbors are year-round residents.

The new concept of instant hotels is part of what’s called the “sharing economy.”  One person has set up a business to rent out home swimming pools by the hour.

Neptune Township has no special ordinances to govern these transactions.  We are trying to find out if Code Enforcement has any rules such as certificates of occupancy.

But Ocean Township has just passed an ordinance banning short-term rentals——defined as any residential rental under 30 days*   They say that since they have no beaches, they don’t need short term rentals.   (So why are they named for the ocean?)

The Coaster quotes the Ocean Twp. ordinance:  “Short term rentals are detrimental to the community’s welfare and are prohibited  by local law because occupants of such vacation rentals do not have any connection to the community and to the residential neighborhoods in which they are visiting.”  The ordinance also says,…..”such rentals may jeopardize the community’s welfare and degrade the quality of life within the township.”

It’s not clear if the Ocean Twp rationale for banning short term rentals might apply to Ocean Grove, where short term vacation rentals in our beach town are common and could be accomplished through a realtor or a web site like Airbnb.

It seems that the presence or absence of an ocean shouldn’t make their ban OK while leaving us without one.  Anybody out there a lawyer??  Will that Ocean ruling be overturned in the spirit of Fats Waller (below)?

–Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

—*Source: The Coaster, August 10, 2017. Page 4.

FATS WALLER:   “Ain’t Nobody’s Business if I Do.”

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