Coaster photo of redevelopment project at Shark River (which is part of Neptune). This is a Blogfinger reproduction.
a. The front page Coaster (11/5/26) reports that Neptune is eager to allow private land owners to”redevelop” private sites along the Shark River. But there is currently no essential “redevelopment agreement” between the Township and the private developers. The Coaster front page headline says, “Shark River Redevelopment Plan Still Uncertain.” This plan was conceived 3 years ago, but the Ocean Grove North End Plan (NERP) was proposed in 2007, and the Shark River proposal may be completed much sooner.
Does this sound familiar? Remember all those years ago when the OG North End Plan was announced (2007) after the Neptuners allowed the OG property to receive “redevelopment ” zoning changes when many of us thought that those approvals were not legal according to NJ land use laws. Blogfinger has pleaded with the Neptuners for years to justify offering the Camp Meeting that special North End redevelopment zoning—but no response.
Our North End had been zoned for residential, but instead we got a redevelopment plan with hotel, condos, underground garage, retail and commercial zoning changes. It took forever for a redevelopers agreement to be signed, and some of us were suspicious of that document .
The Coaster doesn’t explain how those Shark River private properties received approval to become a Redevelopment Zone. Usually such zone changes are done because a property has been worthless for investment.
That was not the case in OG, but we still wound up with the North End Redevelopment Plan. (NERP). We in OG never did learn how the Neptune Comedy came to approve that. One feature that is of interest is that the public land nearby will be for a playground.
b. While the OG cross-shaped distal pier lies dormant. Long Branch’s new pier is under construction and will be 550 feet into the water. Coaster says the the pier will be 20 feet wide and will have a designated fishing area.
c. The OG North End Plan is mired in a lawsuit appeal brought by 2 OG lawyers. The Neptune funny faces wish they could assure the developers’ permits to begin work, but first the law proceedings have to be “cleared.”
d. And there is another planned North End project waiting in the wings. It is about some developers who want to replace the large North End Pavilion site. (the”White Whale'”at #4 Boardwalk. ).
We will report on that, but that project might start very soon. The new owners bought the site in March 2026 with plans to build a 40,000 ft2 commercial building. The White Whale was a successful food and retail court until their fire in 2019.
The relationship of the #4 Boardwalk site to the NERP project will be complicated—wait and see! We will report. And for example look at this photo from our Blogfinger report about the White Whale in 2015. It illustrates only one of many forthcoming issues::
Boundary line between OG and AP. Look carefully at the arrow where it says OG. Blogfinger photo 8/25/15. No one knows what the rest of the boardwalk (i.e. Asbury property) will look like as it extends to the Casino.
Even the music will be complicated:
THE FLAMINGOS:
From the movie American Graffiti
