Politics & Government

Township Considers Big Mailbox Ban, Landscaping Time Restrictions

A township council subcommittee is considering some new laws, including one that would give condo associations a say in members' construction projects.

A new ordinance committee in the township is exploring the need for several potential new laws in town, including some that would govern home improvements, Councilman Steve Sbarra, a member of the committee, announced at a township council meeting Thursday night.

According to Sbarra, the committee is considering several ordinances that it has requested draft versions of from the township attorney.

The potential new laws include one that would limit the hours construction and landscaping could be done on Mahwah homes to between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., limit the size of residential fences to four feet tall in the front yard and six feet tall in the back, and limit the size and placement of mailboxes.

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Large mailboxes encased in bricks, “are the problem,” that prompted that ordinance consideration, Sbarra said Thursday.

The large boxes are misplaced, Sbarra said, and the township has been experiencing issues each winter where snow plows hit the big boxes, the plows get damaged, and the town having to pay for the damage to the mailbox.

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The committee is also considering a law that would give condo and townhouse associations the right to review member submissions to the township for approval before the submissions come to the township. For example, an owner looking to start a construction project that would normally require township approval, would first require association approval.

Once the committee settles on language for the ordinances, Sbarra said they will be brought before the township council and considered for adoption.

Patch wants to know, what do you think of the potential laws? Let us know in the comment section below.


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