Blogfinger

Grovers maintain their Victorian houses. What will the Township do to deal with parking problems? Jean Bredin© Blogfinger staff.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor and Jack Bredin, Researcher and Reporter.

Because the Township did not present the details of their parking plan in advance of the workshop session on Nov. 27, we  are concerned that this presentation will come up short.  Here are some issues that concern us at Blogfinger.

This is what we don’t know at the present time:

a.  Who wrote this plan and when? Will the author of the plan be present at the meeting?

b. Is the presenter someone who is familiar with the engineering challenges of such a plan and will there be visual aids such as a white board or slides?

c. Is this a comprehensive plan  created by a licensed engineer with his name, signature, seal and date; or is this merely an outline or a theoretical concept?

d.  If it is a town-wide plan, then it probably should address every parking issue in town, not just permits for homeowners.  Those issues include RSIS violations which have been flagrant for years.

And if it is not a comprehensive and certified plan, can the Township legally implement it, even on a trial basis?

d. Will it be legal to create a plan that addresses the needs of residents without addressing the needs of visitors or other constituencies?

e. Will the plan face up to the fundamental issue which is that there are too many cars for the number of spaces, and how is that discrepancy to be handled?  The Township allowed this situation to develop contrary to reports over 30 years ago that said that Ocean Grove is over-capacity in terms of building and parking.

In 1980 Neptune Township  ignored a recommendation to allow only single family houses. Instead it allowed over 300 condominium units without off-street parking to be established around town.  (as per a count from 2014).

f.  Will the math be discussed? In 2012 OG was found to have 3,049 residential units and 3,229 parking spaces.

g.  Will the attendees at the workshop be allowed to ask questions?   We think not, so how are the people to get their questions answered if they can only speak for 5 minutes at the end  of the entire meeting?  Not only is 5 minutes insufficient, but the Committee may choose to answer none of their questions.  And how many will stay till the public portion?  Was this done intentionally?

h.  Will the Township acknowledge that it might be sued by the CMA over this?  The CMA could allege discrimination since the plan favors residents without considering the needs of the CMA, which is the largest organization in town with parking needed for its events. Other groups could also complain:  Jersey Shore Arts Center, St. Paul’s, merchants, etc.

The OGHOA has taken credit for persuading the Township to go down this road, but did they receive professional advice, and if they did, why hasn’t that information  been made public?

If this presentation turns out to be a fiasco, the HOA needs to take responsibilty along with the Township.

FLEET FOXES    “Montezuma.”  From the soundtrack of HBO’s Girls.