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Resident urges enforcement after bamboo encroaches on Old Tappan property
Summary
Jordan Rosen told council his neighbor’s unmanaged bamboo has re‑invaded his yard despite a professional mitigation in 2020 and called on code enforcement to enforce the borough’s bamboo ordinance and review prior notices related to a Dec. 2024 inspection.
Jordan Rosen, a homeowner at 14 Susan Court, told the council his family paid a contractor “tens of thousands” to remove a 50‑foot‑tall bamboo stand in 2020 and planted replacement trees and irrigation.
“We are here today to discuss the borough's ordinance on bamboo and its enforcement,” Rosen said, asking the borough to re‑examine prior enforcement actions and to require mitigation where bamboo is encroaching on private property. Rosen said code enforcement issued a notice in December 2024 but that the neighbor asserts the plants predate the borough’s 2017 ordinance and is claiming an exemption.
Council members and staff described the ordinance’s carve‑out for bamboo planted before the ordinance’s effective date and agreed to review the borough’s paperwork and past interactions. Engineer and zoning staff said they would search for the original enforcement file and determine whether notices or agreements exist that would require the neighbor to act.
The mayor and council said the borough attorney and zoning officer would research the matter and report back; Rosen said he would provide correspondence from the code enforcement officer. The council did not take immediate enforcement action but promised follow‑up.
