Outdoor storage materials like this one are now being more tightly regulated. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
If you’re running out of closet space, the lawn is no longer a viable storage alternative in Red Bank.
Citing complaints from neighbors, the borough council has placed tighter control on portable outdoor storage units. They’ve been popping up around town lately, which is fine, Mayor Pasquale Menna said, but some have just been storing, not moving.
“Some of them have been there for a year,” Menna said.
The council last week put a limit on how long the units may be stored, and added permit fees and fines to its ordinance regulating permanent and temporary storage materials.
Under the changes, the units can’t remain for more than 90 days without a special permit. Going over the limit is subject to a daily fine of $175. A permit will cost $25.
Menna said the units are a relatively new wrinkle in storage, so it was a necessary addition to the borough’s regulations to keep what can become “an extension of somebody’s house” under control.
“It’s unsightly, and in some cases, depreciates home values,” he said. “This put regulations on it.”
