By Jack Bredin, reporter/researcher @Blogfinger and Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor.
In parts I and II you saw how the North End Redevelopment process began in 2008 with the (public) North End Redevelopment Plan (NERP) and then went 10 years without any real progress. The Mayor’s negotiation team was appointed in 2008 and has had some personnel changes since then. It still exists to this day and so far has accomplished nothing.
In 2011, WAVE and the OGCMA came up with a new private plan, but it was submitted to the Township, and no action was taken.
In 2013 the CMA was supposed to break-ground with their new private plan, but that never happened due to Sandy. No plans were ever filed or permits issued.
Then in 2015, Committeeman Randy Bishop publicly introduced the 2011 plan for the first time,but the Township Committee took no action.s
The only plan which was ever approved by law in Neptune Township was the North End Revelopment Plan of 2008 which is still in effect to this date.
Nothing further happened, at least as far as the public was concerned, until 2018.
In April, 2018, Michael Badger, President of the OGCMA, announced by press release, that they had signed an agreement with a new developer called OGNED—-Ocean Grove North End Development,LLC. We posted that information (see link below)
In June, Blogfinger posted a piece about the sloppiness of language used in discussing these latest issues:
North End: sloppy ideas and language June 25 , 2018.
This month we learned the identity of OGNED and find that it is probably a reincarnation of WAVE. The information below came from the Clerk’s Office in Neptune Township.
“The Stockholder Disclosure Certification submitted by OG North End Development, LLC shows the stockholders who hold 10% or more of the issued and outstanding stock:”
William P. Gannon II
Paul R. Gannon
Joel S. Brudner
Christopher T. McCallion”
The certificate also revealed their addresses, which we did not include here.
Recently we also learned the identity of the Mayor’s negotiation team:
According to the Township Clerk, “The Redevelopment Committee” consists of Dr. Michael Brantley, Mayor Nicholas Williams, Land Use Administrator, Township Engineer, Business Administrator, Chief Financial Officer, Township Planner and Redevelopment Attorney. Brantley has remained on this committee for the last 10 years.
The Clerk also informed us that “the Redevelopment Attorney is Maraziti Falcon, LLP at 150 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Short Hills, NJ.” This attorney is part of this negotiating team, representing the Township.
So here we are in September of 2018, and this is what we know:
a. The “options agreement” signed by the CMA and OGNED (April, 2018) names OGNED as as the “developer of the North End land parcel.” This agreement was signed by the CMA even though they are not a “redeveloper.”
This is a private agreement which has nothing directly to do with the public Redevelopment Plan approved by Neptune Township in 2008. It would be a violation of land use law for the Township to change the NERP for this private plan without lawful procedures.
b. Mayor Nicolas Williams and his committee have been re-negotiating a 10 year old agreement with a “self-appointed” redeveloper (OGNED). The original unofficial redevelopers were the CMA and WAVE. Mayor Williams refuses to explain the nature of the secret negotiations.
The principals now (developers and politicians) seem to be in a heated rush to get this done ASAP after years of little or no movement. But they have stalled because the Mayor says that his team is “not getting what we want.”
But he won’t disclose what he wants despite public pleas at recent Committee meetings. The lack of transparency is over-the-top.
c. If or when the Mayor signs off on this new private plan he will be certifying that this new private North End project is in the best interest of the residents of Ocean Grove, something that no prior mayor has done since 2008.
If this new Redevelopers Plan with new re-developers is to replace the 2008 NERP, the Township will have to begin the process all over again including bidding for redevelopers, a bona fide Redevelopers Agreement, certification of financial integrity, public hearings, all necessary permits including DEP, and then Committee resolutions and approvals.
After all, this was and is still a public project. That’s how the CMA and WAVE originally got the blank check for whatever zoning they wanted in the first place. Before that NERP ordinance in 2008, the North End was zoned for single family houses.
Mayor Williams recently said that that he was given a “Pre-redevelopment Agreement,” during negotiations, but what is that? He says that the document has gone back and forth over “a couple of items missing on it, so they gave it back to them to work on.”
Vito Gadaleta, the Business Administrator, is on that negotiating team and he said, “The next step would be to get the documents which will be reviewed by the Redevelopment Committee and the Redevelopment Attorney.”
He also said, “If there is a comfort level, there would be a discussion about appointing a conditional redeveloper for the site while the formal development is negotiated.”
This makes no sense. New Jersey Land Use law makes no provisions for “conditional redevelopers” or “comfort levels.”
A review of the history of all this reveals that the “formal development” is the March 24, 2008 North End Redevelopment Plan by Martin Truscott.
d. At the last Committee meeting, Jack Bredin and Diane Harris requested that the Mayor invite the new Redevelopment Attorney to attend the next Township Committee meeting so he can explain why this Neptune Township process appears to be inconsistent with the Local Housing and Redevelopment Law.
e. So the CMA and OGNED and the Mayor seem to think that they are on the verge of a breakthrough, but they continue to be silent about the details, and, as before, we worry about the perception of impropriety at the Municipal Building.
f. Plan below is from Asbury Park’s Redevelopment Plan for the Wesley Lake area.
Nature abhors a vacuum, so here is one conspiracy theory: In 2002, Asbury Park came up with a Waterfront Redevelopment Plan and Waterfront Redeveloper’s Agreement for the construction of Wesley Lake Village (see above). The diagram shows “several smaller scale residential structures and pedestrian ways on the Asbury side.”
But if you look at the graphic, you will see the outlines of the Ocean Grove North End parcel. Nothing else in OG is shown. This leads us to suspect that the OG North End Plan will result in the Asbury developer (iStar) taking over the OG North End in order to pull Asbury and the Grove together near the lake. Remember, iStar has done nothing so far by way of development at the other side of the Casino.
The bottom line is to demand that the Township take down that wall and offer complete transparency to the North End public process. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.
THE FIFTH DIMENSION:
These people want to jettison all the responsibilities that go with a public project (redevelopment zone) while retaining the special mixed zoning which is the reason the special designation was activated for them in the first place in 2008.
This screwing around with the land use laws should be investigated by the AG in Trenton. The Mayor is at risk if he signs off on this.
Doug. I assume that anyone in Neptune who owns a house or lot is paying taxes. Correct? So we might restate the issue by pointing out that our homes in OG, on average, are worth more than those out in Midtown, resulting in higher taxes for us.
Unless you know of some program that allows some homeowners to be immune from property taxes. Or we could assert that there is a bias built into the appraisal process, which we have no evidence of.
Otherwise we are stuck with the misfortune of living in the nicest part of a largely poor town. If all Neptune had the same sort of housing that we have, as occurs, for the most part, in many places such as Short Hills, Ocean Township, Randolph Township, Chester, etc. then our taxes would be fairer.
For example, in the uber wealthy town of Far Hills, populated by estates, their taxes are quite low because services are minimal, and few kids go to public school.
Independent: I like your idea, but it is a numbers game. Neptune township has a population of 27,000-28,000, Ocean Grove is about 3,000 of that. Probably not going to be able to throw them out unless you can get the people in Neptune on your side.
In this year, with all the anti-Republican/Trump sentiment, it probably isn’t going to happen!
We pay (Along with the people in the west side on the river) the taxes, and the rest of the township spends it!
Maybe a little off topic but it pertains to a portion of the above story:
Has anyone asked the Wesley Lake Village developers/buiding managers if they would be willing to change the name to Wesley Storm Drain and Detention Center Village? Might need a bigger sign but that’s a small cost to maintain accuracy of the name. Perhaps Nepotunism Twp will foot the bill
No no no— you’re reading too much into that diagram; that person had enough knowledge that it would be not be developed so the North End was left blank.
Back then the North End was just a young lot with 24 years unmarred by progress. Now the lot is 40 years worth of unmarred progress. Have a feeling the lot likes it just that way. So, in the end, the lot has the last say. Maybe when it’s old and grayer it may be in need of assistance but the Grove may need more than an empty lot to deal with.
It’s the least accessible area in OG and they want to put in the largest development there. Add to that the concept of underground parking in a newly recognized flood zone is downright idiotic. Have they never heard of those things called Nor’Easters?
OGNED = Ocean Grove North End DESTRUCTION.
Brantley and Williams are running for re-election. Let’s throw them out!