By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
As Sea Isle City’s housing market becomes increasingly upscale, homeowners are clamoring for a must-have amenity – swimming pools.
“Pools have become very popular in the last five years,” Mayor Leonard Desiderio said.
But the swimming pool boom now has Sea Isle officials discussing whether changes are needed in the city’s zoning laws to regulate pool construction.
City Councilman Jack Gibson mentioned the possibility of “some refinement” in the zoning laws for pools and their drainage requirements following complaints by a local homeowner about flooding from pools.
During a Council meeting Tuesday, Gibson said the matter should be referred to the city’s Planning Board to explore whether any zoning changes should be considered.
City Business Administrator George Savastano assured Gibson that Sea Isle is already keeping an eye on pool construction. He also said the city administration has been talking to the Planning Board about swimming pools.
“We’ll stay on top of it,” Savastano said.
Gibson cited complaints from a homeowner on 55th Street who suspects that swimming pool water from a neighboring yard is “creeping into his garage and causing flooding.”
In an interview after the Council meeting, Gibson said the homeowner on 55th Street has three pools located near his house.
“I’m surprised there are three pools by his house. I think that’s above average,” Gibson said.
Gibson noted that he has not been able to establish whether the flooding in the homeowner’s garage actually came from the neighboring swimming pools. But he added that he had no reason to doubt the homeowner.
“All I’m doing is taking his word for his complaint,” Gibson said.
In the meantime, Gibson is urging city officials and the Planning Board to look closer at the issue of swimming pool construction and drainage to see if any changes are needed.
The trend for more pools in Sea Isle mirrors the demand for bigger, fancier vacation homes. Sea Isle has vaulted into the ranks of the most expensive housing markets in New Jersey, with the average home value now around $1.3 million, according to figures by the online real estate giant Zillow.
Although Sea Isle’s homeowners want more pools, they are finding it difficult to squeeze them in on the typically smallish lots in a beach community where property is at a premium.
City Council introduced an ordinance in 2022 to change the zoning regulations for pools to make it easier to build them in Sea Isle. However, the measure was later withdrawn for more discussion on just how to solve the swimming pool dilemma.
Homeowners commonly come before the city’s zoning and planning boards seeking approval for pools – often requesting variances for the setback requirements. Not all variances are approved.
Jon D. Batastini, the Planning Board’s solicitor, wrote in a letter to city officials in 2021 that the existing 5-foot setback requirement is forcing homeowners to request zoning variances to build their pools as well as swimming pool patios.
Hoping to solve the swimming pool predicament, Council introduced the ordinance in 2022 to reduce the minimum amount of space – the so-called “setback” – between an in-ground swimming pool and the property line from the requirement of 5 feet to 3 feet. But the ordinance was shelved before a final vote was taken.
Under Sea Isle’s existing zoning regulations, swimming pools must be completely enclosed by a 6-foot-high fence, creating more privacy for homeowners.
