SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ — The Seaside Heights boardwalk will shut down at 1 a.m. on Friday nights and Saturday nights under an ordinance adopted Wednesday night by the Borough Council.
From Sunday nights through Thursday nights, the boardwalk will close at midnight, under the ordinance adopted by a unanimous vote. Federal holidays, including Memorial Day and Fourth of July, will have 1 a.m. boardwalk closings. The boardwalk will continue to open at 6 a.m. daily.
The change in the boardwalk closing time — previously it had been 3 a.m. — was one of five ordinances passed as the borough moves to address the chaos that happened Memorial Day weekend, when thousands of teens and young adults descended on the town.
"We know we have an obligation and our first obligation is to the safety of the community," Mayor Anthony Vaz said. "It’s going to make some people unhappy. In my opinion, we had to do it. I was here (Memorial Day weekend). I saw it."
An estimated 100,000 people poured into the borough for the holiday weekend, and there were more than 80 arrests of adults and juveniles, business administrator Christopher Vaz has said. Of the 63 adult arrests, 41 were people ages 18 to 20, he said.
Anthony Vaz said the initial reading of the ordinance that mentioned a 10 p.m. closing time was a clerical error and is not part of the ordinance that was passed Wednesday night.
In addition to changing the closing hours, the amendment to the borough's "Boardwalks and Beaches" ordinance bans backpacks, cinch bags, coolers, briefcases, or similar that are more than 8 inches by 6 inches by 8 inches deep, from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. with limited exceptions, including diaper bags and medical equipment.
The ordinance will take effect as soon as the legal notice announcing its adoption is published, meaning it will be in place for Fourth of July weekend.
An ordinance amending the boardwalk closing times was introduced shortly afterward. Under that amendment, the closing times approved Wednesday night will apply April 15-June 30, Fourth of July and Labor Day. The boardwalk closing time will revert to 3 a.m.-6 a.m. the rest of the year.
The mayor said the amendment setting specific dates was made so the borough could get the closing times in place in time for Fourth of July.
"We met with the business community and they had valid concerns" about closing the boardwalk at midnight or 1 a.m., the mayor said. "But they recognize we had big problems."
Bars and restaurants with liquor licenses are open until 3 a.m. under the borough's ordinances, and closing the boardwalk two to three hours earlier creates logistical issues, especially for those whose entrances and exits are on the boardwalk.
While in the past the borough has typically seen things calm down after Memorial Day weekend, Anthony Vaz said officials were reluctant to take a wait-and-see approach given the changing dynamics of society with the explosion of social media.
"All it takes is one guy with 2 million followers to say, 'hey, show up,'" he said during the council meeting. "If 10 percent comes, we have a problem."
In addition to the closing times, the borough council approved changes to the minimum fines on four other ordinances:
Chapter 179, Rental Properties: The amendment increases the minimum fine to short-term rental property owners, transient occupancy, "the short term rental property rental agent, and the responsible party or their agents" to $1,500 per violation, per day for violating the ordinance. One of the key rule requires someone 21 or older to rent the property and be on the premises during the rental period from April 15-June 30, prime season for post-prom rentals.
Chapter 55, Certificates of Occupancy: The amendment increases the minimum fine to $1,500 when the maximum occupancy of a rental is exceeded. The fine is applied per person for each person above the maximum occupancy. Anthony Vaz said it applies to people sleeping at the unit.
"You have an apartment and your CO says six people and it's Grandma hosting, it's probably not going to be a problem," he said. "If you're a rowdy bunch and complaints get made" the owner of the property will be fined for every person above the capacity, Vaz said.
Chapter 122, Mercantile License: The amendment increases the minimum fine to $1,500 for violations of the requirement to get a mercantile license to rent properties such as a home or apartment.
Chapter 154, Peace and Good Order: The amendment increases the minimum fines for those charged with disorderly persons offenses.
Those who plead guilty to violating Chapter 154-8.1.A — sleeping in vehicles — would have a mandatory fine of $200 and no court appearance.
Those pleading guilty to Chapter 154-9 — relating to outdoor storage of vehicles that are in disrepair — would have a mandatory fine of $125 and no court appearance.
Those violating Chapter 154-6 — relating to panhandling — would face a minimum fine of $1,500 to a maximum of $2,000, the potential for 90 days in jail or 90 days of community service if convicted.
"The continuation of such violation for each successive day shall constitute a separate offense, and the person or persons allowing or permitting the continuation of the violation may be punished as provided above for each separate offense," the amendment says.