What Woodbridge can learn from Plainfield and vice versa

Woodbridge is on an overcrowding tear. But is the township aware that it may have a lesson to draw from Plainfield?

The New York Times reports that the 'unusual arrangement' of up to six men sharing a house -- plus an unsightly lawn --

"...caught the attention of local housing inspectors, and in May Woodbridge Township cited [the owner] for several violations, including an unauthorized boarding house and an illegal multifamily dwelling. He has until Aug. 16 to resolve the situation, which may mean kicking his workers out.

[His] were among more than 300 notices of violation that the authorities handed out from January through May to homeowners in the 10 communities that make up Woodbridge Township, part of a stepped-up inspection effort the mayor announced last year. Additional inspectors were hired and given computers for quicker access to housing records. A hot line was set up for anonymous complaints. ...

But in a twist to the familiar tales of suburban authorities breaking up illegally subdivided homes crowded with Hispanic day laborers, the mayor’s crackdown here has hit another group of immigrants: middle-class Indians who rent rooms or parts of rooms to Indian students, technology workers and others seeking a first foothold in this country."

Woodbridge Mayor 'Mac' McCormac gave his rationale as --

"You buy a house and you’re a family, you expect families to live around you,” explained John E. McCormac, the mayor of Woodbridge, a central New Jersey township of nearly 100,000 residents. “We’re a community of single-family residential streets. We should stay that way."

The specifics of the complaints seem varied -- the Times cites cases such as ten persons living in a basement apartment and a house being used as an unlicensed day care center -- but just having six unrelated persons living together in a house as cited above may not qualify as overcrowding or an illegal boarding house per se, as Plainfield learned to its chagrin.

In a case that went to the Supreme Court, Plainfield's attempt to shut down The Southern Club was lost when the court ruled that up to six unrelated persons could share rented premises (providing space requirements were met).

The ruling led to years of laxity in enforcement by the city.

While Woodbridge might want to be aware of the Plainfield ruling, Plainfielders might just as well ask why the administration of Mayor Robinson-Briggs is not taking a page from Mayor 'Mac' McCormac, who gave inspectors computers for quicker access to housing records AND set up a hotline for anonymous complaints.

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New York Times (permalink): "Housing Crackdown Hits Indian Immigrants"

-- Dan Damon

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