Two agree to pay of total of $1,000 for having illegal boardinghouses.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE Two property owners have agreed to pay a total of $1,000 for violating the city’s so-called landlord ordinance, which is aimed at preventing the operation of illegal boardinghouses where there is insufficient capacity.
Lawrence Steinhouse, of Newtown, Pa., agreed Oct. 5 to pay $750 for three violations. In a plea agreement, four additional charges were dropped.
Police last month, responding to an alleged assault, discovered 30 persons living in a single-family house on Douglas Street owned by Mr. Steinhouse. The house has a maximum occupancy of 12.
Mr. Steinhouse was charged with submitting a false or incomplete application when he registered his building with the city under the terms of the ordinance and allowing more people to occupy the premises than is allowed by ordinance based on the square footage. He also pleaded guilty to a zoning violation for improper use of the property in a residential zone, according to city Prosecutor Philip Faherty III.
The case of a second man charged in connection with the Douglas Street property had to be postponed. A new court date has not been scheduled yet.
Pablo Ramirez, of South Main Street, who told police he collected the rent money each month for Mr. Steinhouse, was unable to have his case heard last week because an interpreter was not present, Mr. Faherty said.
A second landlord, Gwo-Long Huang, of Highland Park, appeared last week before Municipal Court Judge Richard Cushing. He must pay $250 under the terms of the same ordinance for allowing more persons to live in an apartment unit he owns than is permissible by ordinance based on square footage.
Police, responding to a call Aug. 10 concerning a 2-year-old girl wandering the street alone, discovered the overcrowding when they eventually discovered where she lived.
The apartment, one of two owned by Mr. Huang on Coryell Street, is meant for only four persons. Eight persons, including the 2-year-old and her mother, actually lived there, police said.
The child’s mother was at work in New Hope while three men who lived there were babysitting. While the men were in the kitchen, the child was in the living room. When they returned to the living room, the girl was gone, and the front door was open, according to police.
The person who found the child and called police was approached by the three men, who were looking for the girl. The child recognized them, and a local store owner also acted as an interpreter for the child, verifying what she was saying, according to police.
The city passed the housing ordinance in March. Some residents expressed concern and levied criticism because many of the tenants are Hispanic.
Concern over safety, not discrimination, was the impetus for the new ordinance, said Mr. Faherty, who also is the city’s attorney. He cited the case of a fire on York Street in 2004 when rows of bunk beds in all indoor areas hampered firefighters’ efforts.
Overcrowding strains utilities while putting tenants, neighbors and volunteer firefighters at risk, city officials have said.

