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Rent control advocates have submitted enough valid signatures on a petition to hold a referendum asking voters to enact a rent control ordinance in Asbury Park, according to a news release from the Asbury Park Affordable Housing Coalition (APAHC)

The City Council, however, is first required under state law to consider the proposed ordinance at a public hearing, which will take place on Dec. 22, the APAHC news release stated. The coalition organized the petition effort and drafted the proposed ordinance.

On Thursday, City Clerk Melody Hartsgrove certified that the petition had enough valid signatures, according to the coalition. If the council does not vote to approve the ordinance within 20 days of Hartsgrove’s certification, the measure will then be submitted to voters as a ballot question in a special election to be scheduled by the city clerk in February or March since more than 301 valid signatures were submitted, according to state statutes.

APAHA’s proposed ordinance would cap annual rent increases to the rise in the consumer price index, with no increase allowed over 4 percent. Landlords may add surcharges to rents to cover tax and sewer charge increases. 

A seven-member Rent Leveling and Stabilization Board would be established to oversee the rent regulations, as well as approve rent increases and surcharges. Four members of the board will be tenants and three members landlords. The mayor will appoint the members, with confirmation by the city council. 

Landlords may apply to the board for a surcharge for capital improvements. Landlords may also seek a hardship rental increase upon showing that the landlord cannot meet its operating expenses or make a fair return on its investment. 

The ordinance does not allow a rental unit to be decontrolled upon its vacancy — a unit with a new tenant would continue to be subject to the continued caps on increases, rather than the landlord setting a new rent that is higher. 

Click here to see the proposed rent control ordinance that’s been posted online by Maureen S. Nevin, who was one of the five Committee of Petitioners filing the petition with the City Clerk.

The following is the full news release issued by the Asbury Park Affordable Housing Coalition:

City of Asbury Park Accepts Petition for Rent Stabilization Ordinance

Public Hearing Scheduled for December 22nd

The Asbury Park Affordable Housing Coalition (APAHC), an all-volunteer group, has been working on solutions to resolve the rising cost of living in Asbury Park for several years. This summer and fall it collected signatures on an Initiative Petition to present, along with a Rent Stabilization Ordinance, to the City of Asbury Park. Municipal Clerk, Melody Hartsgrove, confirmed today 12/3/20 that the petition has been accepted and has the required number of signatures. The Initiative Petition provides that if the Council refuses to adopt an ordinance acceptable to the Coalition the Rent Stabilization Ordinance will appear on the ballot at the next municipal election for all voters in Asbury Park to vote on.

“Fifty years ago, the need for rent control was seen as a necessity of equal rights. Now with the worldwide epidemic shuttering businesses and slashing jobs, the security of renters is ever more threatened,” stated Felicia Simmons, founding member of the Coalition. “It’s time we put a mechanism in place that prevents the current community from being pushed out.  We have to see what is possible and go after it to make our community fit our wants and needs” 

“Practically everyone in Asbury Park can point to someone who has had to move due to rising rents,” explained resident and petitioner Maureen Nevin. “This ordinance provides peace of mind for renters – the people and families who want to stay in Asbury Park.”

“The 85% of residents who rely on rental housing in Asbury Park need rent stabilization right now – not months or years from now,” exclaimed Tracy Rogers, another founding member of the APAHC. Earlier this year, the APAHC’s proposals for affordable housing were negotiated with the City Council and adopted in the form of eight ordinances, which the council then voted into law. 

Both documents were drafted with the legal assistance of The Fair Share Housing Center, a statewide public interest organization dedicated to equitable housing. “Local volunteers have been circulating the draft with petitions and gathering signatures for this rent leveling and stabilization proposal for several months,” explained housing organizer Kris Hlatsky of the APAHC. “Many people in Asbury Park want this ordinance in place for protection. The cost of rental units in Asbury Park are rising at an alarming rate. This levels the playing field and puts fairness back into the equation.”

“The draft ordinance has been signed by more than 700 Asbury Park residents, who all agreed that something needs to stop the rapidly rising rent prices. One woman told me she is being pushed out of Asbury Park by the end of December because her rent is going to increase by $600 from last year,” said Derek Minno Bloom, a founding member of the APAHC.  

The key components of the ordinance are:

• The creation of a rent stabilization board appointed by the Mayor comprised of 4 tenants and 3 property owners
• The appointment of a rent stabilization officer 
• No vacancy decontrol  
• A cap on rent increases to no more than 4%
• Limited increases on capital improvements

Justification:

• An affordable rental market will actually support local economic development
• The City is primarily comprised of 85% renters, with only 15 percent of households owner-occupied
• Residents of Asbury Park spend over 50% more than the national average on housing expenditures
• The typical Asbury Park household spends more than 37% of its income on rent
• Rent stabilization has been adopted in several New Jersey jurisdictions

The first reading of the ordinance will be held on Wednesday, December 9th during the 6pm Council meeting. The public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 22nd.   

The Asbury Park Affordable Housing Coalition

The Coalition wishes to thank all the folks who worked so hard to make this happen:  

Petitioners:

Christopher Bryant, Linda Dolman, Kenneth Garrett, Andrea Chanin Goldman, Maureen S. Nevin

Committee:

Tracy Rodgers, Felicia Simmons, Ketsia Beaubrun, Kerry Butch, Skylar Brown, Chemia Felix, Kris Hlatky, Jessica Indri-Tietjen, Linda Jones, Derek Minno-Bloom, Sylvie St. Pierre, and Pam Lamberton 

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