Joan Venezia of the Ocean Grove Home Owners Association addresses the Neptune Township Planning Board. Photo by Charles Layton
By Charles Layton
Members of the Neptune Planning Board heard a barrage of complaints from Ocean Grovers Wednesday night about their proposed rewrite of the Township Master Plan.
It was the first time the Planning Board had afforded the public an opportunity to give feedback in an open forum, although several Ocean Grove organizations and individuals had submitted letters detailing their objections and proposing changes.
The atmosphere was often tense as representatives of those organizations tried to explain their concerns and Board members tried to convince them they had nothing to fear.
Perhaps the mood was best summed up by Planning Board member Joe Krimko after the meeting, when he said, “Both sides thought they were being abused.”
Some people on the Planning Board side obviously resented some of what they heard, particularly implications that the Board might be trying to put Ocean Grove’s historic traditions at risk or to open the zoning process to “political influence and insider dealing,” as the Home Owners Association had suggested in a letter.
The Planning Board tried hard to rebut most of the objections as they were raised, frequently by interrupting the speakers, but this mainly seemed to heighten frustrations. “We’ve been treated to lectures and very little opportunity for comment,” Home Owners trustee Barbara Burns told the board at one point. “I get the distinct impression that this board has already made up its mind.”
Toward the end of the meeting, Gail Shaffer, president of the Historical Society, went to the podium and said, “Tonight we’ve been scolded for three or four hours, instead of [the Board] listening to what we’ve had to say.”
Planning Board members did address some of the complaints more extensively than they had before. A major concern of the Home Owners, the Historical Society and the Historic Preservation Commission was that the draft of the new Master Plan contained more than 200 vague statements about the need to “review,” “redraft,” and “update” various rules dealing with zoning, density limits, the flared setback and other matters of importance to Ocean Grove.
The Planning Board insisted that there was nothing sinister behind the vagueness of that language, and that, in any case, none of the changes could be made without the Township Committee enacting ordinances — a process that would be open to public scrutiny, they said.
Another point of concern among all three of the civic groups was a proposal to create a new Land Use Advisory Committee within the Township government, to render advice on building applications. This was the proposal that the Home Owners had feared could lead to secret insider dealing.
Board member Randy Bishop, who is also a Township Committee member, said this proposal was only meant to formalize “something we already do.” Leanne Hoffmann, the Township’s director of engineering and planning, expanded on that by saying that the new committee would streamline the application process and save money. These officials said the new committee’s job would be to examine applications and seek ways for applicants to modify their proposals so as to avoid the need to seek variances from the Zoning Board, which is a costly process. The committee would only deal with matters of small significance, they said, such as moving something a few inches in order to avoid the need for a variance.
“We’re trying to make it a little easier, for minor adjustments,” the Board’s chairman, Joseph Shafto, said. “We’re trying to help the taxpayer.”
These explanations seemed to reassure Deborah Osepchuk, chairwoman of the HPC. However, she told the Board, “Perhaps if the language had been a little clearer these fears wouldn’t have arisen.”
Kurt Cavano, president of the Neptune Economic Development Corporation, told the Board he thought the proposed new committee “would be very helpful to the town.”
Others were not convinced. Both Fran Paladino and Barbara Burns of the Home Owners said they questioned the legality of the new committee. And Burns asked why the new committee was needed at all if its duties would duplicate what Township staffers are already doing on a routine basis.
At the end of the night it remained unclear to what extent the Planning Board would respond to the public’s concerns. Its members expressed little sympathy for most of what they had heard.
The Board decided that its Master Plan subcommittee would meet one last time, on December 19, to consider revisions to its draft. This meeting will not be open to the public. But after a revised draft has been written, officials promised that it will be posted on the Township’s website.
The full Planning Board will then meet on January 25 to discuss the revised draft and to vote on it. No further public comment will be allowed, either at that meeting or in the time leading up to it.
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UPDATE, December 1 — The Planning Board’s attorney, Mark Kitrick, now tells me that the Planning Board may not be able to consider the Master Plan at its January meeting after all, because of a backlog of other business. It may have to postpone the Master Plan issue until its February meeting. — CL
The Planning Board and Zoning along with the local politicians are just sending a message for higher rateables in the Grove while destroying the integrity of the town.
Sal…You paint the political angle with too broad a brush. The only political influence exerted re my two terms on the HPC (originally BAR) was by residents who successfully lobbied against my reappointment of my original term. (They resented being caught doing work without a C-of-A or necessary permits.) I’m happy to be back on.
ken
Ken… These appointments to the planning board are political. If you are a “threat” to the sitting party you can kiss the position goodbye as it could be used in the future should that individual someday run for office. Conversely, if you work on a campaign that wins you can expect a phone call soon afterwards asking if you want an appointment. There are different length terms for seats on the planning board and board of adjustment, anywhere from one to four years, with nothing qualification-wise tied to the term’s length. Members do have to take classes and pass some simple tests. How closely those requirements are followed is debatable.
Some members take their responsibility seriously and some don’t even open their package of application paperwork until arriving at the meeting. When I served back in the dark ages I visited the physical sites and reviewed things myself. Apathy reigns on most volunteer boards once the novelty of the appointment wears off and the real work begins. The Board’s attorney has the challenge of cutting through the legalese and explaining the application and the member’s options in plain english. Two paid engineers also “dumb down” the testimony so that the members can understand their options; something appreciated by all the members, myself included at times.
I am not judging any current members of any Board or Committee here. I just want to present the facts as someone familiar with the process. This happens in all towns at all levels, Neptune is not unique, but what is unique is the makeup of our town. Seaview Island, historic Ocean Grove, Mid-Town, The Hills, and old time Western Neptune (with its own unique sub-neighborhoods) make the challenge of managing Neptune’s land-use business very difficult. God bless anyone that gets involved and commits themselves to the task.
I guess I should have poured some decafe instead…
Appointments (or reappointments) to Neptune’s various Boards and Commissions are made by the Township Committee each January !st. A resident interested in volunteering to serve on a particular board need only submit a resume to be considered.
ken
So all these people who are volunteers have some sort of political connections. What expertise do they have? What credentials do they offer? Why are they permitted to write this plan without having input from knowledgeable members of the community? How can we prevent this plan from being passed at this time?
Beware who you vote for.
What professional qualifications if any does one have to have to be on the planning board? If not a requirement, do any of our planning board/master plan committee members have any professional qualifications regarding planning??
The Township Committee’s members are elected at large by the voters of Neptune Township. They appoint the members of the Planning Board, who are residents of the Township and serve as volunteers, without pay. The Master Plan committee is an subcommittee of the Planning Board.
We are non-resident taxpayers who own a home in OG. We are members of the HOA and attend Bd. of Adjustment hearings etc. that affect our town. We are unclear as to how one becomes a member of the Master Plan Committee. The Planning Board and The Township Committee? Are these people elected, hired, or volunteers? How have they gotten free rein to do whatever they want and to vote on their “product” without consideration of the the taxpayers questions/requests? Why do they ignore the input from residents who have nothing to gain and who are all well versed in the law, history, etc. and have the BEST interests of OG as well the Twp at heart?
If this appointed Master Plan Committee, the Planning Board and the Township Committee do not listen or do what the residents of Ocean Grove want, they all should be let go. This Master Plan Committee should have been more respectful of the residents concerns instead of arguing and defending their own opinions. They are suppose to be representing the residents of Ocean Grove, who pay top dollar in real estate taxes. It is not just the taxes they pay, it is the real concerned residents who deeply care about the quality of this historic town. They are the OG volunteers of the town who give of their time and money and are sincerely passionate about Ocean Grove.
This group of politicians and committee memebers are getting way to confortable in their positions, they have lost sight that they should be representing the residents of Ocean Grove and these residents should be treated in a more respectful manner.(we pay their salaries and they work for us)
First of all.. this Master Plan review is waaaaaaaay overdue. Its supposed to be looked at every 7 years and its been almost twice that time. Shame on Neptune for allowing that to happen. Secondly, the public is exercising their right to speak. Had the people in Western Neptune shown such tenacity the last time the Master Plan was written they might not have had to deal with a car repair shop / car wash / whatever being built in their neighborhood! Articles indicate that the BOA and the Committee used the Master Plan as their primary supporting document for the application approval in the face of public outcry. When challenged later the Committee often placed blame on the OCAPA people for not catching the problem when the previous Master Plan was changed to allow retail development on their street.
THAT is why everyone in Ocean Grove needs to speak up on this. Once its passed the BOA, PB, and TC will all claim that residents “missed their chance” during the rewrite. Be diligent.