Welcome to the Ocean Grove North End Redevelopment zone. Blogfinger photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net. Jack Bredin, Researcher @Blogfinger.
Since 2007, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association and the North End financial backers–WAVE— have been promising to move ahead with the North End Redevelopment Plan. That official NERP was passed by the Neptune Township Committee in 2008.
In order to get the process really moving, beyond the conceptual phase which has been dormant for years, at least 3 affirmative votes by members of the new 2016 Neptune Township Committee would be required to approve a Redevelopers Agreement (contract) with WAVE regarding that 2008 NERP. After that, a resolution approving the contract would be signed by the Mayor and the Township Clerk. Public hearings should be held to announce the new agreement.
If WAVE wants to change the plan from the 2008 concept to something else, then the entire process has to start again from scratch.
At the February 8th meeting of the Township Committee, the Committee’s attorney, Gene Anthony, announced that he had recently received a message from WAVE that WAVE and the OGCMA were completing their private agreement and that, secondly, WAVE has a new investment “partner.” When everything is finalized, they will combine their financials and make a presentation. They will have to disclose everyone involved who has over a 10% interest in the plan.
We don’t know if any of the present members of the Township Committee have attended any of those private meetings along with the Township Attorney. We don’t know if any of the 2016 Committee know much about the NERP and its questionable features.
The agreement announced by Mr. Anthony should be completed by mid-February, so then we’ll see if Sisyphus can push this boulder up the hill.
SINEAD LOHAN
New Committee Members
In an effort to try making this complicated quagmire a little clearer:
—-The 2008 Committee spent thousands of dollars preparing a conceptual plan based on what they think can be developed at the North End; then they selected a re-developer who has a contract to purchase the property.
—-The 2012 Committee reported that the plan has all DEP approvals.
—-Now, if the 2016 Committee signs a contract with the redeveloper, and it turns out the Committee never did their due-diligents;
—and the Pavillion property was never subdivided;
—and the Boardwalk and Lake Ave are not streets;
—and there is no DEP approval for underground parking;
—and the project cannot be developed pursuant to the NERP;
Then the Developer can file a lawsuit against the Township for their estimated loss of profits.
Former: The Tri-City News almost never pays attention to OG. A few years ago I spoke to the editor about that, but he denied ignoring us. Anyhow, if you want to contact them, go right ahead. As for the “people across the lake sympathizing,” you probably don’t remember when the Asbury Council refused to support our application to FEMA for boardwalk funding. The Asbury Park economy would probably benefit from a commercialized OG North End.
Has anyone contacted TriCityNews/Dan? I think it wouldn’t hurt to have this issue put on the front page. At least it’s some exposure. This is one issue that brings everyone together. Only a very small few benefit from this deal. I’m sure people across the lake can sympathize.
I know it’s a pipe dream. Where I used to live they used to set aside areas like this for “open space”. Not so much here.
David,
I like the idea of a park, but I don’t think it will happen, that land is extremely valuable, worth millions, and the owners have the right to develop (Unless someone can buy it)! Something is going to be built there eventually, we have to try to guide the process.
I would like a mix of mostly single family homes, some public space and maybe a small amount of low rise condo/apt with stores. That last part could be put into the existing building that is already there; just don’t change the footprint or height.
And of course, more parking must be required for the condo/shops/apt portion if built (not just using the turn around lot that is already there).
Before anything is built, I assume they will have to do some remediation, being next to a coal fired heating plant for 100 years must have put some toxins into that soil!
Site still looks perfect to me for a prayer garden or memorial garden. If developed as planned, and an emergency such as a fire were to occur, exactly how is an evacuation to occur at the same time emergency vehicles are trying to get to this isolated area?
Maybe Wave should supply Neptune with a fire boat for Wesley Lake. Any reason why an alternate organization to the OGHOA can’t be formed? I would certainly offer my support to any such group really trying to improve things for those of us that call this home.
When the Township Committee voted to approve the NERP in 2008, they were voting on a “conceptual plan”.
Town Planners advised that the plan could be developed if Lake Ave and the Boardwalk were municipal streets and that the DEP would approve the subdivision and zoning of the Pavilion property along with two levels of underground parking.
The vote in 2008 on the conceptual plan does not obligate the town to do anything.
The only thing that did happen since 2008 was to select WAVE as a redeveloper, without advertising “a request for proposals”
If the 2016 Committee now enters into a contract with WAVE, the plan automatically changes from “conceptual” to “formal”, and the members of the 2016 Committee take full responsibility if the Developer cannot develop the plan as prepared.