By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net
Next-door.com is a social networking site where people share information such as items for sale or inquiries to recommend something, such as where to buy a Murphy bed. But occasionally, Ocean Grove issues are mentioned, and if the comments are provocative enough, we will bring them over to Blogfinger for your assessment.
One thing that fascinates us at Blogfinger about this website is that the participants must use their real names. Clearly that is having an inhibitory effect, because the current posts there about the permit parking issue offer information, but the posters will not tell us their opinions.
We know a Grover who posts under a pseudonym on Blogfinger and under his real name at Nextdoor.com His Blogfinger posts are much more intense and revealing of his views than what he says under his real name at Nextdoor.com. And that speaks to the value of allowing anonymous comments on BF.
Below is a post on Nextdoor.com dated Dec. 20, 2017, which interests us. The poster is Ray DeFaria of Ocean Grove. This is what he said about the Workshop meeting regarding permit parking in the Grove:
“No decision was made by the Neptune Twp Committee. They listened to the various concerns on both sides Those against permit parking included former Neptune Mayor Randy Bishop , a long time attorney in Ocean Grove, the head of the Ocean Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, OGCMA trustees including the current President along with others who raised concern about the negative economic impact Permit Parking will have on Ocean Grove and Neptune.”
But, although Ray DeFaria doesn’t directly offer his own opinion, he only mentions those who oppose the plan, and he only mentions the heavy hitters who spoke at the meeting. He does not mention those who were for the plan. And, although he tells us the titles of these big shots, he does not tell us their names. So his comment is heavily spun in one direction and tries to impress us with his rogue’s gallery of VIP’s without direct quotes or names.
So, despite those limitations, I was interested in the people/organizations whom Ray says spoke at the meeting. The list includes the Chamber of Commerce which, up to now, as far as we know, has not expressed how it feels about permit parking (or about any parking issues downtown.) You would think that they would welcome a parking solution.
And he mentions Randy Bishop, who has a conflict of interest regarding this subject. The CMA has already expressed its views armed with the threat of a lawsuit against the Township.
Our reporter, Jack Bredin, verified the negativity on the part of these VIP’s which, he said, included Jack Green, who is a realtor and developer and Camp Meeting trustee in town.
But what really interested us is Ray’s report that all these big shots agree that the permit plan would have a “negative economic impacton Ocean Grove and Neptune!” (our italics) Wow! This is new: An economic theory as to why permit parking should be defeated.
In other words, all these Grovarian VIP’s with negative opinions on permit parking seem to care little about the problems experienced by the residential community in town. That is a striking revelation regarding all these pillars of OG society.
As for the economic theory expressed in Ray’s post, it seems like a far-fetched concept to us, and Ray’s post did not explain how the dots are being connected.
Will any Blogfinger commenters or naysayers mentioned above weigh in on this economic argument against a permit parking plan for Ocean Grove? Please explain that argument.
And finally, Ray didn’t say so, but most of the positive comments at the meeting regarding permit parking came from the OGHOA. So that is a nice change of pace, but we guess they’ll have to change their plan:
BOB DYLAN: “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan.”
We have learned that the Chairwoman of the HPC also went to the microphone to oppose the permit parking plan. Why is she taking sides in this? She should be sticking to her mission which is to work on historic preservation. Is there some link that we don’t know about?
The problem for residents is the same problem for Camp Meeting events and participation by the larger community. If Asbury Park uses us as a parking lot, it will restrict CMA events. So there has to be a way for us to have us cake, and eat it too. “RESTRICTED PARKING for residents and CMA events only” CMA ticket buyers get an event code that they post on their windshield.
Here is another plot twist. From across the retention basin–The Asbury Patch:
“Monica Kowalski of Neptune does not like the plan. Further, she said, while Rizzo could author the plan, she likely could not vote on it because Rizzo lives in the North End and the state Ethics Law prohibits her from voting on anything in which she would personally benefit and the possibility of a parking space could be viewed as a personal benefit or one for her family.”
The issue here is a zoning issue. The Township refuses to follow the law when approving almost all development in OG from three story houses where only two stories are permitted, to multi units on lots that are by law single family lots. All of these bring more cars then is permitted by law and yet the Township and its Boards continue to violate law.
The MLUL requires that land use must be written as to the suitability for a use. In other words, a lot must be able to handle that use. Zoning cannot be written for economic reasons. It must be written for the suitability of the land. All uses when written into a towns zoning by law must include parking within its definition. The Township has refused to follow the law in this case.
The MLUL then addresses weather a lot is conforming or non conforming to the permitted use. The Township, through its Boards, refuses to address the required parking variances that each lot is required by law to apply for in OG. All lots in OG are non-conforming lots that cannot provide parking.
Instead of writing legal zoning and legal definitions for permitted uses for OG, the Township is trying to go around the law with permit parking. Until the Township writes legal zoning for OG, it will continue to permit as many units in the community regardless of our parking problems. The Township will continue to violate the law, deny us the protection of the law, and burden and endanger our lives for the taxes they can drain from OG.
Kevin Chambers