The Warrington, 22 Lake Avenue in Ocean Grove, NJ. Blogfinger photo 2012.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger and Jack Bredin, Blogfinger reporter/researcher
The vacant and deserted Warrington rooming and boarding house that should have been demolished years ago now has all the necessary approvals from the Neptune Township Board of Adjustment to be taken off life support and transformed into a 20-room boutique hotel with an additional residence in the basement. All this is to be occurring on a lot not fronting on a street—a location where no development at all should be permitted. How does this happen?
To the rear of the Warrington lot there are two small undersized lots. One is 27 feet wide, while the other is 23 feet wide with a proposed easement to the Warrington lot. Both small lots are fronting on Seaview Avenue. Each one contains a small cottage.
All three of the present lots were originally one conforming lot fronting on Seaview Avenue, and that lot was reserved by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for a single- family house for a member of the Association.
However, that single lot was later re-subdivided into 3 illegal lots; one to accommodate the Warrington, while the other two undersized lots would front on Seaview. Ave. A conforming lot cannot be subdivided into 3 nonconforming lots. It would be illegal to do so.
When the new 2014 Warrington application came before the Board of Adjustment, it was a moment in time for Neptune Township to step to the plate and correct this illegally existing condition, because the intent of the Neptune Township zoning ordinance is to restrict rather than increase nonconformity.
Unfortunately, the Township failed in its responsibility to the residents of Ocean Grove by increasing the nonconformity of the Warrington lot.
In 2014 the Board of Adjustment approved a shopping cart full of variances to allow a structure to be re-built where the footprint of the new building is larger than the lot that it will be built on. There is no variance that would permit this.
As there is no front or rear yard provided for the Warrington lot, and Lake Avenue is not a street, guests staying at the hotel will be dropped off on Seaview Ave. and will enter the hotel through an easement across the 23 foot lot on Seaview Ave.
However, according to the official Neptune Tax Map, there is no easement on that lot. If there is, it may be an underground utility easement; there are many in Ocean Grove. In any case, the Board is required to be guided by the Tax Map, which also shows that Lake Avenue is a lot, and not a street.
The “front” of the new Warrington building, as noted above, is not located on a street and will extend beyond the lot line 12 ½ feet into and over the Lake Avenue walkway.
The garbage dumpsters and recycling will also be located on the Lake Avenue walkway along with loading facilities. Are they kidding? Cars, delivery trucks, garbage trucks, snowplows, and all other motor vehicles are not permitted on Lake Avenue. There is no variance that would permit this, and no sane person who would approve it.
Before the application was approved, four residents spoke up to encourage the Board to deny the application. Joseph and Frank Gaciofano and Ocean Grove historians Ted Bell and Kevin Chambers These citizens were worried about garbage, parking, RSIS compliance, traffic issues, signage in a residential neighborhood, people living in the basement, and easement concerns. The Board was not concerned.
On April 1, 2015, April Fools Day, not one member of the Board voted “No” on the motion to approve the application.
The Township Committee is the enforcement authority to protect the public from this kind of flagrant abuse of Land Use Law. 4 of the 5 member Neptune Township Committee have been involved with Planning, Zoning, and Site-Plan review. Their views on proper zoning decisions flows down through Planning and Zoning Boards, the Building Department, and all other Municipal officials and professional experts.
Mayor McMillan is the Class I member of the Planning Board.
Dr. Michael Brantley is the Committee Liaison to and is a member of the Planning Board.
Robert Lane was a 4-year member of the Planning Board.
Carol Rizzo is a former member of the Board of Adjustment, a resident of Ocean Grove, and was appointed to the Parking Task Force.
On September 12 of this year, 2016, the Township Committee signed a Developers Agreement with the Warrington Hotel LLC.
* Editor’s note: A few days ago Blogfinger interviewed a Grover who has lived on Seaview Avenue for many years, behind the Warrington. He says that he cannot trust Township officials because they would not listen to his complaints regarding the Warrington for over ten years.
This path connects Seaview and Lake. It runs between the Warrington (in blue) and #27 Seaview Avenue. Blogfinger photo. ©
He says that his neighbor, whose home borders the path that runs from Lake to Seaview, adjacent to the Warrington, has been “living in hell” due to the garbage, the crime, the safety and health risks, strange people peeking in his windows, the physical degradation of the Warrington, the congestion and other concerns.
He sees no hope for the new Warrington to ever be completed, and he despairs for and rejects Ocean Grove for allowing this project to be approved. He plans to move to another town as soon as he can, and he suggested that the rest of us do the same. —–PG
SOUL REBELS BRASS BAND: “Drinka Little Poison 4 U Die” (From the HBO series Treme.)
SIMON… Now that we lost our homes and many years of precious memories all gone due to The Warrington. With all the neighbors getting together calling Neptune in the past and explaining what was taking place at the Warrington with the building being stripped and nothing new being redone it was worrisome .
Sawbucks WAS ALSO CALLED ON MANY OCCATIONS WITH NO RESULTS. They would work two to three days a week hammering with no new wood. How and when will the pain go away seeing all of once happy individuals. What was it all for GREED.. There were also four animals that lost their lives —-sad. I am rebuilding ASAP; I miss my home.
Reblogged this on Blogfinger and commented:
As a public service, in the light of the huge fire, we all should re-read this piece. You can form your own opinions, maybe revised from last October when we first posted this report.
The Warrington did receive variances from the Board of Adjustment with a total disregard for the law. Therefore why is there a need for a developers agreement from the Township? And if there was a need, why didn’t the Board address those needs at the Board of Adjustment during the public hearing? Was this another case in which the Board cherry picks what it wants to address disregarding and circumventing what the law requires.?
Kevin Chambers
Awhile ago during some NERP reporting on Blogfinger there were some discussions about forming a citizens group to formally oppose the rampant and illegal development in OG. As I recall some names for the group were bandied around and then the idea seemed to drop off the radar. Perhaps this idea should be reconsidered. A unified and organized group, with one voice, may be the only way to impede or stop further abuse of the corrupt politics in Neptune township.
Seaview Gal, the developers have all the necessary approvals, and the time for appeal has expired. However, this article is the kind of information that would be helpful if the residents of OG ever decide to separate from Neptune Township.
Great reporting. Since all of this was approved in 2014 and 2015 is there any thing we can do to stop the issues involving the garbage, trash dumpsters , entering from Seaview? Have all the approvals gone through? Or will they be getting others?