A rendering of the Casino which will feature the Stone Pony Summer Stage, shops and more. OG is not shown to the south. What will that “more” become? OG needs to plan. Image from the Tri City News. 4/13/23.
The view of the Casino from the Asbury side. Imagine what it will all look like with the current OG North End planned project stuck next to it on the other side. Will the NERP look ridiculous? From the Tri-City New
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
Source for this article. The Tri City News. 4/13/23
Well, the cat’s out of the bag, and Neptune Township needs to figure out how to protect Ocean Grove from this incredibly ambitious concept on the Asbury side including the Casino and its surroundings. Remember, Asbury owns the entire Casino and a portion of the boardwalk on the OG side.
This massive proposition will likely render the North End Redevelopment Plan null and void for a number of reasons including that there is no rational argument* now to justify the redevelopment zoning changes on the OG side that would have turned our North End into a congested commercial area. The AP side will be a massive piece of real estate and there is now no rationale to give the OG developers permission to have special zoning*. Their plan won’t fit. Would you want to live there?
Aside from the plans for Convention Hall at the AP north end, the south located Casino side will have a state-of-the-art Stone Pony Summer Stage with an outdoor amphitheater for 5,000. And Convention Hall will become a 3,500 seat concert hall.
According to the Tri City News, a developer on the AP side said, “The end game is to have one of the most incredible world-class destinations for everything: music, art, and other entertainment.”
The Casino project will cost an undisclosed millions of dollars
Pick up this week’s Tri City News for details, but their piece doesn’t even mention Ocean Grove.
Neptune Township should immediately appoint a commission consisting of Grover residents and the one big player in town—the CMA. OGNED can do its own juggling. Neptune must put a halt to the current North End Redevelopment Plan which should immediately be revoked as it should have been years ago, and think about what will be best for Ocean Grove looking into the future.
My opinion is that the Master Plan for OG should be reconsidered to solidify our town as “historic small town America” and to maintain our distance physically and culturally from the amazingly ambitious A. Park.
We should turn that entire North End property into a park with lots of trees. We should be known in the region as a town of history, neighborhoods, local artists, and local arts and culture.
We should frame ourselves as not a place for exploitive tourism or religiosity, but a place for families, diversity, local color, fresh air, scenic beauty and comfortable and affordable places to live. Short term rentals need to be discouraged, because all those ambitious plans to our north will put unbelievable pressure on OG parking, places to stay, and home prices. How will we remain a town where families will want to live? And finally cancel all giant events like Flea Markets. That’s how Bradley Beach maintains its personality without excessive tourism.
And, what evils will these AP projects send our way?
*There never was a rational argument that would have justified turning the North End into a “Zone in Need of Redevelopment.”
GERALD PRICE: From the off Broadway cast of the Threepenny Opera: “The Ballad of Mack the Knife.”
Brian; From your mouth to Badger’s ear…..
Totally. How about this? Turn that north end property into a recreational park. Playground for kids, skate park, pickleball, basketball court, dog run, workout circuit, food trucks. Even an outdoor pool. Get town of Neptune to help finance it. Open it to Neptune residents and charge for others. That would provide a resource unmatched in the area, improve the health and welfare of residents, and drive up property values with minimal impact on environment and congestion.
AP owns to about 39 feet from the southern wall of the steam plant. This is marked by the end of the synthetic planks on the OG boardwalk. AP used this area as the site of the “colored beach” in less tolerant times.
The AP redevelopers have accomplished little over the years. Previously, there were to be amusement rides by the Casino. The rendering seems to omit the ornate carrousel house whose loss would be sad. There have been far too many renderings and too little in the way of actual construction.
The din from the Casino concert venue would likely be heard all over OG. I have already heard sounds from AP concerts near the Auditorium at times.
An extreme way to preserve OG parking would be to permanently close the deteriorated Wesley Lake bridges that will likely have to be replaced in the not so distant future. The outflow channel from the lake could even be uncovered creating a moat for OG if you really wanted to be nasty.
…Not to mention who will want to buy a newly constructed OGNED condo or private home in the North End that close to a 5,000 seat ampetheater? The North End hotel may get some good business though…