This Plainsboro Condo Complex Just Banned Smoking… In Your Own Home

A recent decision by local condominium complex has spawned quite a debate after announcing a new amendment to the deeds for residents in the complex.

Effective January 1, 2019, residents will no longer be able to smoke on the grounds of the Ravens Crest East at Princeton Meadows Condominium Complex. The ban includes on balconies AND inside the units of local residents. So this means residents will not be able to smoke in their own home.

Yes, the ban includes even units which are privately owned (not rented). Reports say that 45% of 612 units in the complex are privately owned and the remaining 55% are rentals.

"Smoking of any kind, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, electronic cigarettes, and vaporizers, is prohibited on all common elements and limited common elements," the amendment reads.

None of the property owners will be grandfathered in. This means that all units will be forced to comply with the smoking ban starting in January.

The condo association says that idea started after residents (with asthma and other issues) complained to officials.

"We just kept on getting complaints from residents," the condo association's president Neil Sutter told the Bridgewater Courier News. "Anytime you live in a multi-unit dwelling, smoke just permeates into the spaces of the unit."

After some discussions last fall, a ballot proposing the smoking ban was sent to the unit owners in November 2017, according to reporting from MyCentralJersey.com. Meetings were held to discuss the ban amongst the unit owners, and ultimately they voted in a 5-to-1 ration to favor the smoking ban.

Condo officials say the decision was well-researched and it hopes to improve the quality of life for residents.

Additionally, the complex actually had a fire that was attributed to smoking back in 2010. Sutter told MyCentralJersey.com that the complex incurred a $1.6 million insurance loss due to the fire.