Blogfinger

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, and Jack Bredin, Reporter/Researcher @Blogfinger.net.  Cartoon by Sue Gioulis, artist, Ocean Grove.

Today the OGCMA released a “press release”  regarding the “development” of the North End.  That document is published on Blogfinger beneath this post.

Why the CMA would release this vague statement to all media, filled with gibberish,  is unclear, because the press release lacks facts, thoroughness, historic perspective, legal standing, and clarity.  In fact, it has more loose ends than a Tijuana brothel.   We think that today’s message will mislead the public.

Overall, it seems that the CMA is trying to claim that real progress is now being made  towards the “development” of the North End which has been in limbo since 2007 when the Neptune Planning Board advised the Township  Committee to go ahead and declare an “Area in Need of Revelopment” for that ugly plot of dirt at the North End.  Curiously, today’s press release makes reference to the word “redevelopment” as well as the word “development.”  Which is it?  The meanings are different.

The press release offers a photo of the old North End Hotel, but connecting those dots to the current North End plan seems to be a weak-kneed attempt to portray the modern day NERP as a historical revival reflecting OG history.

But the old hotel opened in 1911; before that the real early history of the North End was that of tents. There also is 19th century history which says that the CMA set aside 25 large lots for ministers to build single family homes  by the Lake at the North End. Those homes were never built, but that was the intent of the CMA back then.
The  Neptune Township  “Historic District” zoning in recent times has called for single family homes over there.  This was before the NERP ignored that zoning to help developers, and that was the choice of the Township Committee

Looking back on the modern history of the situation, in January, 2007, a “Memo of Understanding” was signed by the CMA and WAVE as they chose themselves to be co-redevelopers for the site.

In June 2007, the Township Committee voted to designate the site  as  an “Area in Need of Redevelopment,”  and by that official  designation, they were able to ignore all existing zoning  for that location.

One year later, in 2008, the Neptuner Committee passed a resolution to approve the North End Redevelopment Plan (NERP.)  But since that time, no revision to the original plan was ever officially sanctioned  by the Neptune Committee, despite some statements to the contrary.  So any talk now, in the press release, of a “scaled down” version, is pure fiction.

After that, later in 2008,  the Township passed a resolution naming the CMA and WAVE as official co-redevelopers.

As time went by, there was talk of progress behind the scenes, but nothing substantial happened.  In 2012, the CMA said that it was ready to go ahead with the plan, but after Sandy,  Dr. Whilden announced that the CMA would “go back to the drawing board.” There were concerns about underground parking.

This year the Township hired a Revelopment Attorney, but that individual never appeared at a Committee meeting.

This press release is  reminiscent of a movie title “True Lies.”

We will eagerly await an explanation from the Mayor, telling the truth about the 2018 status of the North End, without the gibberish, the spin, and the lack of transparency.

GWEN STEFANI: