Whitfield Hotel at Surf and Beach
By Paul Goldfinger
The owner of the Whitfield Hotel wants to fully demolish the building. A special meeting of HPC is scheduled for August 27 at 7:00 p.m. The owner will be represented by an attorney and by a historic expert. If an owner wants to demolish a structure, that is usually approved unless it has historic significance. Even if the place is structurally sound and within code, it can be demolished. We do not know why the owner wants to demolish the hotel after all these years, but it’s likely that he did the math.
If the Historic Preservation Commission gives its OK, then Code Enforcement steps into the picture. The owners apply for a permit to demolish, and then things can move pretty quickly thereafter.
However, once it is taken down, the property redevelopment must satisfy zoning requirements which, for this zone, is single family residential.
Residents who live near there are enthused that the old hotel might be replaced with four single family homes. Ocean Grovers who are familiar with the 50 room hotel say that it is a ” seedy fleabag” with residents who often have criminal backgrounds. They say that trouble frequently occurs there and that the police are often called for unsavory happenings at the Whitfield.
Reblogged this on Blogfinger and commented:
This article first was posted in August of 2013, and there were many comments. Now the Whitfield still stands, so more discussion is happening.—-PG August, 2016.
Concerned
Whitfield problems continue. Two arrests at Whitfield by Neptune PD in past two weeks. This place has to go!
Jay: there is severe structural damage to the building it self- the entire 2nd floor is uninhabitable due to a foot variance from the front structure to the back as well as multiple other issues- it has no historical significance- that has been destroyed over the years not to mention it is an eyesore if you live on the street.
Jay: The last I heard, the demolition is still pending due to remaining tenants. Maybe someone will respond to your inquiry.
Do you have any updates about the Whitfield Hotel as of 7/29/2016 ?
No one is concerned that an obviously significant older building is being destroyed? Why couldn’t this be renovated? Replacing an historic building with new construction is rarely a good trade-off.
The meeting is on Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 7:00 pm. Municipal Complex, 2nd floor meeting room.The public is invited.
Any questions may be addressed to the Commission Secretary at (732) 988-5200 extension 247.
http://www.neptunetownship.org/events/hpc-demolition-hearing?date=2013-08-27%2023%3A00%3A00
for those of us not in the “know”….where is the meeting held and it it a good idea for ocean grove residents to attend the meeting to voice our opinions?
The distinction between tenants and owners—I don’t see that well. Tenants pay property taxes also — they just do that through their landlords. Without the tenants’ rent checks, the landlords would not in all likelihood be able to pay the property taxes. Owners are also in some sense tenants of New Jersey and the United States. As someone once said, if you think you own your own property, stop paying your taxes and see how long you are an owner.
Also, some tenants take better care of Ocean Grove and their properties than the owners. People get lumped into stereotypes, and that can interfere with the truth.
Of course the Whitfield is going to change owners, but appreciating the truth about good neighbors and wishing them good care is a costless thing to for us to do.
RIP Whitfield- fingers crossed for Tuesday!! -!this has been the worst part of living in glorious ocean grove! The lack of respect for the tax paying residents, and trying to meld with the neighborhood is really at the focus- 4 well made and maintained homes would be a releif and a blessing- between the 2am to 5 am noise, the foul language – and the swat teams of police constantly here, it is and continues to be an unpleasant experience !!
The other co- owner is Ken Lanyon
The HPC applicant is Bevin Irvin – the current owner of the Hotel.
Does Ken have an owl in his pocket? —Whooooooo
My “Ah Ha” questions. Who owns The Whitfield? Who owns the new Surf Ave. building with condos for sale?
While I feel compassion for the mentally ill and know they need services, I feel no support for the pedophiles and registered sex offenders here in OG or anywhere. I was horrified to see how many dwell in our zip code.
I would NEVER let my young ones wander around our mythical Mayberry. The Cordoba on Webb has many offenders living there, or at least they use that address. The SRO and phony B and B’s should be shut down, for all our protection.
Re: The Whitfield Hotel
I tried to help one resident who was clearly mentally ill and was really struck by how the system had failed her. I don’t know what we can do to help with the transition from the Whitfield, but there is probably a lot to be done helping out the greater population in need. Doesn’t seem like SRO hotels are the solution. I’m going to guess that some of these people need something more like a halfway house, with staff on hand to help them.
I would be more likely to stand behind a halfway house on Surf Ave. even if it meant lower property values. The way the situation is now though I’m glad to see the Whitfield go. I just hope the residents land somewhere decent and get the help they need.
I regards to the Warringtons closure and removal of residents, most of the residents were moved to other housing by the State peaceably. It was explained to them that this place was in poor shape and they would be going to a better place. However there were some residents who lived there that had diminished mental faculties, either through trauma or development and would not leave.
This is a problem we have encountered at all of the SROs in town. Residents get injured or sick and need to be taken to the hospital but they can not comprehend that we are there to help them. None of the EMTs or cops take any joy or pleasure in restraining anyone, yet they cannot understand that we are trying to help them.
We will spend hours trying to verbally convince these people that they need to leave because the building is unsafe, and i assure you, the Warrington was, or because they need to seek medical attention. I have worked with the Neptune Police for years, and forcibly restraining someone is always the last resort after every other option has been exhausted
There are people like this at the Whitfield, and I suspect I will be back there when those residents are moved
FYI: I spoke to Bill Doolittle from the Neptune Township Code Enforcement Department regarding the process of demolition. He said that the Township does not concern itself with the fate of the residents as far as the official process is concerned.
Presumably, the agencies or others who placed the tenants in the first place, will act to make arrangements for them once the decision to demolish has been made.
Perhaps the Township would look into the situation. After all, those
Whitfield tenants are citizens of Neptune Township. Those of you who have expressed concern should consider becoming advocates for the tenants by pressing Township officials to get involved.
Thank you Sal, Wisher and Frank. Unfortunately I am afraid we are moving away from a more loving—everyone is one of God’s creatures— type of town and have been for more than 10 years.
Issues surrounding men and women at the Whitfield, the Warrington and other places in our community are not about them, really, it is about us — our community. These people are part of us, and we cannot change them, but we can give care and sober reflection.
When the paddy wagons came into our community and took people away, we had no notice. Vets were forcibly removed by government from our sight and our community.
So let’s just pause and think, without resort to any ideology. We should give grace.
Judging from previous comments, it is clear that many do not understand what really goes on at the Whitfield Hotel.
Some of the residents who transient through are very unsavory characters. Drug dealing, prostitution and other illicit and illegal activities go on on a regular basis. Drinking to excess and pot smoking take place on the porch routinely. One only needs to check a website database to discover that child pedophiles are regularly residents. Young children are often seen entering the building even though minors are prohibited.
Garbage from tenants are thrown out of windows often missing the cans below. Smoking in the building is not allowed, but since there is no management on site, this rule is often broken, with cigarette butts landing on neighbors’ roofs. All of the above can be easily documented by the myriad of police reports over the years.
It is true that some residents are truly down on their luck for a variety of reasons but they are very few. And as others have suggested, they would be far better off in a healthier, more positive environment.
The bottom line—-our beautiful town of OG is, in my opinion, no place for this type of establishment.
I agree with both Wisher & Cathy. While the Whitfield is bad news, nonetheless not 100% everyone there is responsible.
So many are so concerned with their almighty property values that they have lost sight of human values.
Although I am relatively new to town and live about as far south as you can get, I, too, am concerned about who will assist the residents of the Whitfield with housing. Picturing the scene at the Warrington is heartbreaking. We are all God’s children, brothers and sisters in Christ (at least we believers). Jesus would never have carried a pitchfork unless he was moving a haystack!
Of course, we respect American property, and property law. But let’s think about our vets, our men, all of them. Ocean Grove has to mean more than Spring Lake, Deal, and the other “Suburbs-by-the-sea.” We are better, and THAT is our town, our choice — Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
Happy news! Seach the state sex offender database with the Ocean Grove zipcode and most ‘hits’ have the Whitfield as their residence.
My dad lived in Ocean Grove after World War I (one) when he worked for the Asbury Park Press. He rented a room or lived in a boarding house.
I’d think that demolishing a “blight” in the community would of course be a good thing, but rooming houses and residential hotels seem to have been part of Ocean Grove for some years.
SROs = bad
Single family homes = good
I’m a resident of Surf Avenue and have had the chance to chat with some of the Whitfield residents. As usual, there is truth in both points of view.
I get the sense that the state pays for indigent and some troubled individuals to stay here but may not support them with adequate services. I imagine that most residents are just trying to get back on their feet but there is an element that gets loud and vulgar and/or drunk late at night, which is unacceptable behavior for the rest of us on the block. Some I believe are mentally ill and some have no excuse. I know the police show up relatively frequently but I don’t know the reason. I heard third hand that the reason the owner is selling out is that he didn’t pass the state’s 5 year inspection.
Maybe the residents of the Whitfield will be more comfortable and safer in a better maintained building somewhere else? I could support keeping the Whitfield open if it was a situation that was monitored with an adequate support staff but I feel like the Whitfield is more like a dumping ground where tenants need help that they’re not getting, and the residents of Surf Avenue have to deal with the consequences.
It’s up to us as a community to help people get on their feet, but that burden shouldn’t be felt disproportionately by the residents of Surf Avenue.
I hope the township and the residents take as much care as possible as to what happens to displaced residents as possible. Let’s not forget what happened at the Warrington, where the State came in the middle of the night and forcibly removed residents that remained at that facility. Many of these people, I heard were literally dragged away kicking and screaming. This included a number of American Veterans either too poor or disabled to leave. There were our neighbors and soldiers, and I am sure they loved living here and considered it home.
So let us just try to ask a few more questions, and not sum up every resident in a way that leaves us feel better about them leaving, but failing to consider that there are good residents there.
And about these wonderful single family homes. Deal has many wealthy occupants of private, single family homes. And it couldn’t be more of a lifeless town.
Wake me in a few years so I can discover the conclusion to this story.
I will miss the incredible garden on the back side of that hotel. The loving care that the caretakers pour over this area is a blessing to walk past. Especially at night, with all of the moon flowers!
I’m sure the tenants will find some other similar accommodation in some other town — probably at an even lower price. Surely a “hotel” right on the beach would cost them more than a “hotel”, say 15 miles inland. Anyway, this “hotel” — and the other 3 in town that are like this one — are a blight on OG.
I do not support the notion that I should have to sacrifice my house’s real estate valuation as an act of charity to people who could easily live elsewhere.
What about the concern for the residents of the Whitfield? This may be all they can afford and “pitchforks will be out” if HPC doesn’t approve so that these poor folks are homeless? I thought we were leaning towards a more loving, everyone is one of God’s creatures type of town. 🙁
The town should make this an easy process for the owners to get permission for demolition and redevelopment. By so doing, they will encourage the other similar buildings in town to do the same.
The notice letter for the public hearing stated the demolition is needed because the building is considered to be a dangerous condition. What is the danger? Is keeping this building open putting lives and surrounding properties in danger?
Should the building be closed immediately?
Here’s hoping the green apartment building on Heck Ave follows suit!!
That building is not covered under Rent control! B&B’s and Hotels are exempt!
It’s fantastic news that the Whitfield might get demolished and replaced with single family homes. This ties to the rent control/quality of housing stock issue that another Blogfinger thread has covered. Rental units such of this need to be removed from the housing stock if the town is to get better. Getting rid of this disaster of a building — and its denizens– would be a HUGE win!!!!