Light, air, and open space is what we want at the North End. Photo by Jean Bredin, Blogfinger staff in Ocean Grove, NJ. ©
By Jack Bredin, reporter/researcher and Paul Goldfinger, Editor. Blogfinger.net
Let’s review some of the background of the North End Redevelopment Plan and then bring us all up to date. At the heart of this post is the Township Committee meeting of October 22, 2018.
Redevelopment is a public project. A developer does not become a Redeveloper with the authority to develop an “area in need of redevelopment” until they have signed a contract with a Township called a Redevelopers Agreement. In Neptune Township there are “areas in need of redevelopment”, but there are no officially approved redevelopers. What went wrong, and how can this happen?
In 2005, and again in 2008, at a time after redevelopers were selected by the Township for two large projects, the Mayor’s Redevelopment Committee went into executive session behind closed doors to negotiate Redevelopment Agreements for:
- West Lake Avenue in Midtown
- North End in Ocean Grove
But the choice of redevelopers was done out of sequence in the Grove, and Redevelopers Agreements were ever finalized. The Township should have waited for the Township Attorney to first negotiate and have signed the Redevelopers Agreements before selecting anyone as a Redeveloper.
These agreements would have provided the Township Committee with guaranteed provisions to insure the timely construction of the redevelopment projects, the qualifications, and the financial capabilities and financial guarantees of the redeveloper (s) before the Committee selected a Redeveloper for either project.
Signing a Redevelopers Agreement would usually take place at a special 10 am meeting on the same day the Redeveloper is officially selected by resolution. In the event that a developer does not sign an agreement within 10 days of being selected, he should be dismissed.
Ten years ago, our Governing Body did not properly vet their Redeveloper friends for the North End of OG (CMA and WAVE,) and after being appointed as the only horses in a horse race, they never crossed the finish line due to the fact that they could not come up with the necessary money and then they all backed out. Thus the North End Plan was never implemented.
As a result of that failure, the Mayor’s Redevelopment Committee is technically still in executive session for all these years and that is why the Mayor’s Committee will not now reveal any information to the public. And thus there are still no Redevelopers for these two projects.
Now, after 10 years of nothing being developed through the redevelopment process, and while everything is being developed all around us by “general development,” Dr. Brantley said, “I think we have to review all the redevelopment projects,” and then the Township hired a “special redevelopment attorney” for the unenviable job of trying to pull these projects out of the mud.
Shortly after that, this past month, our new Mayor, Nicholas Williams, reports the following: “Thanks to the non-stop work of our Redevelopment Committee, residents will soon be hearing about two major investments that will transform our community for the better…..”
And then, like magic, there appears on the agenda of the October 22, 2018 Township Committee meeting, a Resolution, No. 18-369, regarding the West Lake Avenue project in Midtown. The Resolution was approved, appointing BAW Development, LLC, as a “Conditional Redeveloper” while also approving a “Pre-Redevelopers Agreement.” This agreement is for a 6 month period of time when a formal Redevelopment Agreement will be signed.
We believe that this so called “Pre-Redevelopment” process is not permitted by State Standards, Municipal Land Use Law, and Redevelopment Law. We think that this new process has been invented to find an end-run around the usual legal procedures to move such projects along and which have failed so far in Neptune Township. In addition, this maneuver will prevent any other developers from bidding on these projects while the Township dithers.
The new Redevelopment Attorney said at the meeting that they will use the same process with the North End project in OG. That is why we are extrapolating what was said about West Lake to what will likely happen for the North End.
We think that the Mayor’s Redevelopment Committee is failing we the people by remaining silent. Where is the transparency?
Ocean Grovers: Keep your eyes and ears open as this situation evolves—our local government seems to be placing the best interests of Grovers at the bottom of the pile.
MUDDY WATERS:
I am totally on board with getting away from Neptune. In my opinion, it was never a good idea in the first place. Since I was a kid, the Township has had contempt for the town. According to statistics, our property taxes are higher than those in Belmar or Avon (think off street parking and garages) and comparable to Spring Lake and Deal. There is something wrong with this picture.
Radar. Thank you for that fine and learned analysis. Maybe it will stimulate some latent leaders to action—if for no other reasons than to protect our home investments and our life styles.
As we know on Blogfinger, talk alone won’t produce change, but the pen, they say, is ultimately mightier than the sword.
We will persevere with education, news, opinions, and insights. We will try to not allow the devious and opaque Neptuners to get away with unexposed manipulative secretive maneuvers that affect us all.
At the very least, the public should demand transparency.
–Paul @Blogfinger.net
This reminds me of regional healthcare planning which is supposed to benefit the public but becomes a strategy for corporate players, such as community hospital closures reported this week.
Good question PG.
In spite of a small number of voters residing year-round in Ocean Grove, an ad hoc coalition of them and tax-paying owners with seasonal appearance must be created. If no current organization is prepared to do that, an informal approach with a cadre of leaders can accomplish such a coalition and eventual strategy for shame and separation. In the short and long run, OG will need quality leadership
Shame will attract many adherents.
Aside from the usual complaints which are common to OG owners, endangering our historic designation with condos and
multi-unit housing in violation of the master plan is an additional fault under the Township.
It will take time with consistent utilization of all forms of media and public discussion. Subsequently it will be necessary to introduce legislation revoking whatever was the agreement, statute, contract, or court order that connected Ocean Grove to Neptune Township.
It is prior to that crucial point that the Camp Meeting will be faced with a pro or con decision–and what’s in it for them?
Convincing the State Legislature will be extremely difficult. It will be important to stress that a separate municipality and a separate school district are not being created. Ocean Grove would have options in terms of its structure: a foundation, an independent organization, a company, etc,
Services (i.e.,law enforcement, sanitation, etc.) can be subcontracted.
Students can be sent to the best private schools or with tuition to public schools in the area–with transportation.
Are we tired of complaining ? Can we think out of the box? And can we open up an uplifting positive discussion with broad participation that will produce viable solutions and volunteers to achieve them ?
Plan now. Have that broad discussion at the end of June 2019 at the same time our history and uniqueness is being celebrated..
Who is BAW Development ? (Radar: They are the developers for West Lake project—PG)
Who benefits from a larger herd of OG Cash Cows aside from
developers, Neptune Township with high market-value based taxes ,
and Camp Meeting with increasing ground rentals.
Would that be considered an unholy alliance ?
Realistically, Ocean Grove does not have the votes. What owners need is an organization–or even an ad hoc group– that would shame the exploiters.
Radar: Of course—-what’s in it for the people of Ocean Grove?—PG