To the Editor:
Can someone please give the people of OG, and in spite of what is being done with the clasping (sic) building THE PARK VIEW and the building that is the second Park View, THE WARRINGTON. There has been strange people in and out of there; can someone please help— these buildings are an accident waiting to happen.
SIMON
Ocean Grove, NJ
April 12, 2013
EDITOR’S NOTE:
This is the second such letter that Simon has sent us. It is not edited. The first, an email, was forwarded by us to the Neptune Police. They responded by email to us saying that if someone sees something worrisome, they should call the police. They did not indicate if they would look into this report.
If you live over in that neighborhood, you might want to take a walk over there. We all have an obligation, according to Neighborhood Watch, to keep an eye out and “if you see something, say something.” Call the police for anything suspicious—
There have been a number of articles in Blogfinger about the Warrington. You can do a search above. The last time we had a report about that place was in August, 2012, by Charles Layton:
“All 15 boarders at the Warrington Rest Home in Ocean Grove have been relocated to permanent housing in other state-licensed facilities. Tammori Petty, a spokesperson for the Department of Community Affairs, said Wednesday that this resolves the state’s concerns about the property. The DCA closed the run-down boarding home on June 13 due to what it termed “serious conditions affecting the health, safety and welfare of residents.” (For more info about the reasons for its closing, go here.) With the state out of the picture, it remains unclear what will become of this now-empty and deteriorating building, which faces Wesley Lake at 22 Lake Avenue, directly behind the Park View Inn. It had been licensed to provide room and board for veterans and physically challenged people. According to tax records, it is owned by Jack Ancona LLC of Long Branch. We have been unable to contact this individual for comment.”
Weak courts, weak judges, weak politicians, weak code enforcement officers, all sum up to no progress. It’s a joke that nothing has happened here for so long. They should all be ashamed of themselves. Does anyone have a backbone?
I grew up in Ocean Grove in around 1978 there was a girl and her mother who owned that hotel. They were vegetarians and I really liked that girl Susan was her name.I often wonder what happened to her.
Last week I saw a man walk to the back of the Warrington. I walked there to see what he was doing. He stated he was there to clean up the place. I went back a little later and he was gone and the place still is disgusting with broken liquor bottles and one big mess.
The man was walking all over; this is worrying. I live on Sea View.The house in front should place a fence to keep out the unwanted. I feel bad, their house is so nice.
Does anyone know what is the latest “progress” on the Parkview?
So much to cover on various comments:
The HPC is GOVERNED BY and SUBJECT TO the Ordinances, Rules and Regulations passed by the Township Committee and does not have its own enforcement powers.
Conversions of structures to CONDOS are approved by the Planning Board, not by the HPC.
What has the HOA’s Derelict Buildings Committee been doing?
FYI The next OGHOA meeting is on SAT. APRIL 27 at 10:00 in the Community room on Pilgrim Pathway.
I walked through an open house in a condominium building a few doors away from the Parkview. I was looking at the beautiful view through the top floor bedroom window and came across the Parkview. I though to myself “No way I would buy this place and live next to that firetrap”. I really feel bad for the people who live around that dump.
Anyone looking to organize a committee for the betterment of O.G. lets find a way to get together and get the ball rolling.
I understand the Township is being sued over the Sampler demo. But can’t anything be done about these buildings?…I live on Sea View I look at them every day for over 20 yrs.
Thank you for all your positive comments. I will raise the issue with the HOA this summer as suggested by appleation.
We have received word from the NTPD that they have alerted their patrols to watch the Warrington. They also would like Simon to call them in order to provide more detailed information. 732 988 8000 Ext 422. Lt. Stewart
To AC”s comment: I agree totally with all of your plea. The HOA should be the venue for organization and action. Why not appeal to that group during the summer when more homeowners are present at their meetings?
Hey AC: If you want, I would love to be on a committee to help resolve this mess that is going on in this town. I know a few people who have the same concerns and would like to get the ball rolling.
I also beleive your right the H.O.A. wouldn’t get involved.
The H.P.C. is not above town ordinances and codes. Those buildings, expecially the Park View, should have come down 4 years ago. The committee people prefer condo’s and 4 story homes. If you look at the Pathway, there are all 4 story homes being built; what happened to our 2 1/2 story community?
My wife and I took a walk past the Warrington and Park View today. It is an appalling site. Why are we (and the owners) held hostage to rules that prevent these hazardous eyesores from being demolished and replaced by single family homes? In the past, the public has rebelled when the HPC attempted to enforce landscaping citations and later when they tried to control the plantings in our gardens between the sidewalk and strip. And they had to back off BECAUSE THE PUBLIC DIDN’T SUPPORT THEIR POSITION. I think if there was more of a public outcry we might get some action. The HOA might be an appropriate vehicle to challenge the status quo with the HPC, but I doubt they will want to take this on.
You can challenge the HPC and win, but it requires a commitment. I think we need to get organized to address this terrible situation, and don’t understand how anyone can just tolerate it any longer.
In my opinion the statements by Jan and AC are true and correct. Unfortunatly, in the past,a catastrophic event seems to happen before anything is accomplished relating to those buildings. Although the 27 Surf Avenue debacle was “permitted” prior to it’s disaster, that too should have been revisited before allowing it to become the behemouth that it is now.
Single family houses surely would have been better. Somehow the entrepreneurs win. Will Neptune and the Courts continue to fail to protect OG? Why do we hear very little from our elected officials with regard to these hazardous bldgs.?
As for the HOA, that new leadership appears to be on the right track and needs everyone’s support.
It would be a nice rehabilitation center for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Maybe it could be acquired by the Veterans Administration. It is near the sea, recreation, social services and a thriving community. Remember when everyone put those “support out troops” stickers on their cars? Well, they are still here, and still need support. It would be the very least our community to do for our veterans.
As I recall, I remember that hotels and rooming houses that couldn’t meet today’s standards,codes and ordinances,for example sprinkler systems,the buildings were to be taken down and replaced with single family homes—not sit there for years.
A few local builders decided to convert to condos instead of following the Master Plan that said only single family homes. AND this is the mess we have to deal with today.
WE the homeowners are left with the results: no parking, overwhelming congestion, and a historic condo community PLUS we have the Park View and the Warrington just sitting there, while the judge in the matter of the Park View lets the owners run the situation for the last 5 years.
Seen it all before – The answer to your question is that the rules imposed by an imperious HPC make it too difficult to replace buildings such as the Warrington, so the owners are forced to let it fall apart in the hope that demolition can be justified.
Why not let an unattractive, uneconomical property with dubious historic value be demolished without undue obstacles? No owner is going to pump money into a venture that won’t pay, nor should they. How does it help to have an vacant, dangerous eyesore instead of a couple of nice new homes?
I’m not against historic preservation. I just think it should be strictly limited to properties with well-established esthetic, architectural, and historic merit, and administered much more rationally,reasonably, and effectively. We would all benefit.
Aggravated Your right we are a single family community.This is why we need new committee people— These do absolutely nothing for O.G. except collect taxes.
Where is our Home Owners Association, and why do they do nothing to force Neptune to enforce the codes?
What we need is a group of people in the H.O.A. that are aggressive and take a no nonsense approach to get the job done. What has this group accomplished the last few years that has made the Grove better?
Just how has historic preservation (an allusion to the HPC) contributed to the Warrington creating a detrimental impact on Ocean Grove? There has been no demolition request by the owner, and whereas Neptune Township has had the owner of the PARKVIEW in court repeatedly to bring his property up to code, I am not aware on any actions against the Warrington since the State Of New Jersey’s DCA closed it down.
Community pressure resulted in the eventual demolition of The Sampler and brought Township pressure to bear on the Parkview’s owner. The road to solving such problems is pretty clear…persistent community pressure.
I fully agree with AC- we sadly know how this story will continue.
This is another example of the detrimental impact created by historic preservation here in Ocean Grove. This building is a white elephant that needs to be torn down. Rules should be modified as necessary to allow these buildings to be converted to single family homes.
My friend lives in front of the Warington and has called on several occasions the police and has spoken to R,Biship about all kinds of people going in and out there.and nothing has happen, Has been months and still nothing has been done,the doors are always open and some low lifers have been coming and going.What happen to the ordinance about abandonment over 60 days and the building has to come down, This is never enforced because Neptune wants there tax money.