Mary’s Place. Artists rendering. Internet photo.
To the Editor:
As they used to say in Star Trek: “Space— the final frontier” But here in Ocean Grove it is parking spaces—-the final frontier :
In Ocean Grove it always comes down to parking and land usage and abuses. On our block on Main and Beach, The Henry Richard Inn is now being remodeled and converted into a single family home. Along Main Avenue, Mary’s place is now chock-full of volunteers’ cars and resident cars.
Yes, even after Labor Day, we can look west down the block and see no spots available on the south side of the street and some have even migrated onto Beach Avenue, making it a bit more challenging for the folks on Beach to find spaces in front of their own condo. So, while we have lost the Henry Richard’s parking challenges in the summer, we are now looking at folks finding spaces when we ordinarily could park without a single thought after Labor Day.
If we add to this the family on Main next to the old Henry Richard, we are now getting one or two of their fleet of cars now parking on Beach to add to our agita. Of course, that is the family and house that at time commandeers more than five or six spots on the south side of Main. The ritual of pulling out cars and replacing the space with motor bikes and schoolers is most entertaining on a summer’s day.
Ocean Grove has always been described as a “quirky” place. The owners of Mary’s Place along Main on the south side I do not think ever contacted or considered their new neighbors to be; instead, we saw the full use of those two building lots right to the very edge of the property lines.
It’s a done deal for a good cause, but those who objected to the aggressive use of that property were characterized as heartless and uncaring, and so it goes in Ocean Grove. Neighbors were worried about trucks, but what has happened is that parking in the usual Ocean Grove way has become a real issue for many.
All this, while there are spots galore on the north side in front of the convent and across the street in front of the Majestic, After all it is autumn in Ocean Grove and the streets are emptier as usual, but somehow, the big house that is Mary’s Place continues to add to our parking woes.
When will we get “residential” parking permits for people who pay taxes in Neptune and who pay the outrageous ground rents to a non-profit authority?
JESSE
Ocean Grove, N.J. Sept. 26, 2016.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Below is a quote from our article about Mary’s Place dated September 19, 2014:
“When people walk by Mary’s Place, they won’t admire its beauty; instead they will ask, “Who was responsible for allowing this out-of-place building to be constructed in this quaint, historic, residential town? ” They will ask why two fine Victorian single family houses were not placed there instead, like we now have on the Pathway. And they will see the parking problems and congestion due to the 10 clients staying there, the staff who will be needed to maintain the place, the visitors, and the rest of the support team who teach yoga, etc. Then there will be the deliveries, laundry trucks, garbage pickups, etc.”
And yes, we did get hate mail over our opposition to the Mary’s Place zoning decisions. But we also received support from commenters to that editorial.
Here is a link to that 2014 piece:
https://blogfinger.net/2014/09/19/marys-controversy-whats-next/
I’m sorry, but your goodwill towards cancer victims does not negate your responsibility to be a good neighbor. In this case, the lack of consideration must be a family trait. The people who run Mary’s Place are related to the people who own ‘The Bank’ building on Ocean Ave, which is well known for it’s loud parties.
Dave, The scooters belong to the OGCP president – or maybe he is the former president now – not sure.
Two points:
1. Anyone can purchase a scooter and register it as a legal vehicle, as long as it is 50cc’s or more and is insured. As the town continues to get more and more crowded, more and more residents have gotten smart and found a way to “live” here;
Two recent home sales negotiated the sale of their scooters as part of the deal to the purchasers of their homes. Seems like a good solution for the main/busy streets. Nothing wrong with it.
2. What “Jesse” doesn’t realize is that all the streets she or he mentions are “public streets”. For some reason she feels she is “entitled” to parking near her home on these streets. When you live in Ocean Grove, you just “know” you may not be able to park near your home in the summer. We all live this way.
Thank you JESSE!
Regarding the scooter movement, back and forth, to reserve a parking space for themselves, I contacted the Ocean Grove Citizens Patrol President directly. Asking him if the OGCP was aware of the issue and was willing to help with this matter, and try to enforce FREE parking for all.
They responded that this is beyond the scope of OGCP’s purpose.