COLE PORTER WITH VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS: Let’s begin with a tribute to the real Ocean Grove:
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net April 5, 2021.
Today Jack Bredin spoke to us regarding his strong feelings about the forthcoming HPC North End Plan review beginning April 6, 2021. He sees the “new” HPC hearings as being “fraudulent.”
What follows is a tutorial of what happened, documented by official records and written by Jack.
First, please re-read our June, 2020 post about some of these matters (below.)
For the link, read the first paragraph below and then click where it says, “Continue reading..”
From Jack Bredin, April 5, 2021:
With redevelopment the HPC is an advisory body to the Planning Board, and then the Planning Board is also an advisory body to the Governing Body, who makes the final decision to approve the project.
“The buck stops” with the process when the mayor signs off on the project.
However, Mayor Rizzo did BEFORE THE PLANNING BOARD MEETING took place. And she signed the wrong plan.
The HPC did not approve the proposal, and so there was no “Certificate of Appropriateness” from the HPC.
At the Planning Board meeting in November, 2019, Debby Osepchuk, head of the HPC, came to the meeting with the Commission’s attorney, as she should have, but, and this is a BIG BUT, when it was her turn to speak, the attorney for OGNED objected, stating that “The mayor had already signed off on the plan, and so the HPC’s testimony was irrelevant.”
In any case, the Planning Board agreed with OGNED.
It was not true that the mayor had already signed off on “the plan.” She, in fact, signed off on another plan designed by the Home Owners Association, and that was not the official plan.
The time for appeal has expired. As such, only the court could remand the project back for a new hearing before the HPC, and they already had rejected the plan.
Apparently someone is now looking for a “Certificate of Appropriateness” which does not exist.
Editor: Below is a post from 2018 where we discuss the variety of plans in play then:
We thank Jack Bredin for standing up for the rule of law and for the best interest of the citizens of Ocean Grove.
Our Township Engineer is more than qualified to review any engineering plans legally permitted in Neptune’s zoning, and our Town Attorney is also a qualified redevelopment Attorney.
However, the Township Committee determines that the North End plan was “Above the pay grade “ of the Town’s Engineer and
Attorney.
So, the Committee hired a team of Engineers, and a special redevelopment Attorney to present the plan to the DEP.
At the Planning Board meeting they called the Town Engineer to testify, the same Engineer the Town had determined was not qualified to review the North End Plan, while the expert Engineers and special redevelopment Attorney were nowhere to be found.
Apparently FEMA, the DEP, and the Planning Board, and the residents, were all Hood Winked by the Township Committee.
This plan will just steamroll over all of us who are loving Ocean Grove residents. WE moved here because it has charm, and is not like any other shore town. Why make it like other towns? Why can’t we keep what we have and love. The only thing that might help is if we the masses protest, boycott, and march with signs in the area during the summer on the boardwalk so as to harm the reputation of the developers, township committee, and those who approve this monstrosity, ecology-damaging, overly crowding money producer for those involved.
The restriction on questions means that they only want to talk about HPC guideline criteria for siding, windows, paint, fences, etc. They hope that such simple minded topics would yield the missing document, “the Certificate of Appropriateness” without having to deal with the historic and neighborhood issues which are very important when considering this massive project.
Also, who requested these hearings? After all, the HPC already rejected the North End Plan in 2019? Who wants a second opinion when they already had received the first in 2019. Has the plan been changed again?
Mayor Brantley: Explain to the public why you authorized these current hearings and why the Committee allowed Mayor Rizzo to sign off on the plan before having an HPC Certificate? You are ultimately responsible for the entire plan, its contents, and the process which would allow OGNED to go ahead.
Penny of Ocean Grove
Thank you Jack for having our back. I love the painting that features our quaint cottage and I hope and pray that Ocean Grove remains unscathed by this redevelopment .
I’m sure a boutique hotel would be beautiful but the underground parking plan is quite worrisome.
Please proceed with care.
Joyce & Mike Adase