Ongoing Condo Problems

Condo rentals in Wildwoods still on hold
By TRUDI GILFILLIAN Staff Writer, (609) 463-6716
Press of Atlantic City
Published: Friday, April 14, 2006
Updated: Friday, April 14, 2006

WILDWOOD — Several condominium owners hoping to rent out their properties with the blessing of the local government are going to have to wait a little longer.

The state Department of Community Affairs, or DCA, named 153 units in Wildwood as having construction problems related to fire safety, design or construction, along with more than 200 units in North Wildwood and a few in Wildwood Crest.

While the state has told local officials those buildings are not necessarily unsafe, the clerk's office here is not issuing mercantile licenses to owners wishing to rent out their units until it receives formal notice that the problems have been resolved by the state and/or the Joint Construction Office of the Wildwoods, or JCOW.

Affected Wildwood property owners who already have mercantile licenses will receive letters from the city stating that the mercantile licenses are suspended “until written proof has been provided by the DCA and JCOW that the violations have been removed, and that the premises is safe for occupancy.”

Those without mercantile licenses will not be issued new ones until those same conditions are met.

City Solicitor Marcus Karavan said Thursday that the city is considering a modification to that stance, but as of Thursday nothing had changed.

In neighboring North Wildwood, City Administrator Ray Townsend said his city is in limbo and waiting for a solution to allow the licenses to be issued.

Townsend said a compromise could involve condo owners agreeing to inform real estate agents and renters of their property's status before a mercantile license is issued to them.

They could be given a letter from the state explaining the situation, he said.

Wildwood Crest Borough Clerk Kevin Yecco said the town has only one property affected by the mercantile-license issue. That license is also on hold until borough solicitor Doreen Corino hears from the DCA.

Meanwhile, Glenn P. Callahan, attorney for JCOW, said he met this week with seven condominium associations, their architects, builders and others to come up with solutions for some of the affected properties.

A handful, he said, can actually be removed from the list of problem properties by providing documentation about how they were built as opposed to pre-construction plans.

“We have some built properly, but not according to the initial plans,” Callahan said.

In other cases, Callahan still expects a quick resolution for many of the buildings that are in need of such things as an additional layer of interior sheet rock, automatic door closers, or fire-rated boards on their outdoor decks to bring them up to code.

“The ultimate way to deal with the mercantile issue is to get them off the list,” Callahan said.

A hearing next Friday may speed up that process when a judge will be asked to determine who gets to decide the final resolution for each property, JCOW or the DCA.

“The good news is we're pressing toward resolution,” Callahan said.

To e-mail Trudi Gilfillian at The Press:
TGilfillian@pressofac.com