Resident urges borough enforcement after bamboo from neighbor damages irrigation and trees

Jordan Rosen, a resident of 14 Susan Court, told the Borough of Old Tappan mayor and council that bamboo growing on a neighboring property has repeatedly encroached onto his yard, damaged an irrigation system and threatened trees he planted after a 2020 remediation. "We are here today to discuss the borough's ordinance on bamboo and its enforcement," Rosen said, and asked the council to take action to have the plant mitigated.

Rosen said his family hired a professional mitigation crew in 2020 that excavated rhizomes and planted replacement trees, but rhizomes continued to come under the fence and damage new drip‑irrigation lines. He said code enforcement sent a notice in December 2024 to the neighbor, who denied planting the bamboo and has argued the stand predates both property owners. "We keep cutting it back, but unless it's fully eradicated from the neighbor's property it's going to keep coming back," Rosen said.

Council members acknowledged the problem and noted the borough's existing ordinance, first adopted in 2017, that prohibits planting bamboo but includes a carve‑out for stands planted before the ordinance's effective date. Council members and staff said there is a separate clause that allows code enforcement to order mitigation if bamboo extends roots or stalks onto another property or a public way. The mayor and council asked borough staff and the attorney to review prior code‑enforcement records and any paper trail connected with the neighbor's prior mitigation and to determine whether the carve‑out applies in this case.

Tom, the borough engineer, and other council members discussed practical mitigation options raised by residents, including installing a deep barrier or membrane to stop rhizomes; one council member noted a neighbor had previously paid to install a three‑foot membrane down the soil profile to stop spread. Rosen said professional mitigation had cost "tens of thousands" of dollars when excavators were used, and he asked the borough to consider enforcement that would prevent repeated property damage.

The council did not vote on enforcement at the meeting but committed to researching: (1) the 2017 ordinance language and carve‑outs; (2) any prior code‑enforcement notices or agreements related to the properties; and (3) possible steps—administrative or legal—for compelling mitigation or obtaining cost recovery. The borough's code‑enforcement officer, referenced by Rosen, will be asked to produce records of prior notices and inspections.