Seaside Park Introduces Ordinance Allowing Mailboxes in ‘The Verge’

Mailbox on a pole mount. (Credit: r.nial.bradshaw/ Flickr Creative Commons)

A plan floated last month to update Seaside Park’s municipal code to allow the placement of mailboxes in “the verge” has been formally introduced as an ordinance.

The borough council unanimously introduced the measure at last week’s council meeting. The ordinance would allow mailboxes to be placed in “the verge,” the formal name for the right-of-way in between the sidewalk and the curb. Officials said traditionally, mailboxes in Seaside Park were hung near the front doors of homes, but with new construction being both taller and larger, builders had begun placing them in the verge on posts, much like those seen in sprawling suburbs.

After some residents asked council members if summer parking would complicate mail delivery with more mailboxes placed near the street, Borough Administrator Karen Kroon said the local postmaster recommended passing the ordinance since, overall, mail carriers would be able to more efficiently deliver mail to curbside boxes.

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The ordinance itself, which will be subject to a public hearing and second vote, was simply written. It expressly allows mailboxes in the verge, but prohibits other objects. Previously, the ordinance was silent on mailboxes in the verge, in that they were neither allowed nor prohibited.

“No obstructions may be placed in the verge and that area shall remain clear and unobstructed,” the document reads. The only improvements which may be installed at the owner’s desire are curbs, sidewalks and driveways; grass, stones or gravel; pavers or bricks; trees or shrubs as long as they do not block traffic sightlines; and mailboxes, “provided they meet the specifications of the Postmaster General and d o not violate the site triangle regulations.”

“Posts cannot impede egress of a vehicle,” the ordinance also states.

The hearing and second vote is scheduled for the Nov. 6 council meeting.