HPC sessions to begin regarding the North End.
April 5, 2021 by Blogfinger
North End old postcard. Undated. Internet photo. Is this what OG should look like at the North End now? How about an iconic residential neighborhood?
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
The HPC will begin holding “reviews” to assess the North End Plan being put forth by OGNED, the “re-developers.”
These meetings will be ZOOM affairs, and you have to register because there have been some HPC ZOOM hacks in the past. The first session will be on Tuesday April 6, at 7 pm.
This session will be about the hotel, and subsequent reviews will be on subsequent dates to discuss condos, retail, and private homes which are all part of the project.
The reason that Neptune Township is communicating about this is that the HPC does its diligence at the behest of the Neptune Township Committee. This means that the HPC is at their mercy, and we have seen the HPC be intimidated by that relationship in the past.
We know that the HPC stated publicly last year that they do not support this project because the design is not historic and the plan does not fit into the neighborhood.
Here is a link to the actual document generated in late 2019 by the HPC rejecting the current OGNED plan along with the opinion of the Neptune Township Land Use Department:
OGHOA posts vital documents pertaining to the North End plan–there’s trouble in River City.
Both HPC and OGNED will have their lawyers present.
OGHOA has sent an email to their members with a very good discussion (see below) to describe what to expect at this meeting.
In the HOA’s letter, it says, “You can ask questions of the witnesses (eg architects.) You will be encouraged to focus your questions on the architecture of the project and not on aspects that have been previously approved. You can ask questions and comment on where you think the plans meet, exceed, or fall short of compliance with the Design Guidelines.”
Be advised, the HOA paragraph above is designed to prevent revelations about some of the potentially fraudulent happenings related to North End procedures in the past. You should feel free to ask any questions regarding past matters, and watch for efforts to shut you up during the HPC proceedings.
We don’t know who wrote this letter, but this warning is disturbingly similar to when OGNED appeared before the HOA last year, and the HOA President warned the audience that only certain questions would be allowed. The HOA has the stain of stifling free speech on its record, so beware of them.
The last paragraph of this HOA email needs to be studied with appropriate skepticism since the HOA have been cheerleaders for that original NERP project since 2008. And they, a private organization, should never have been involved in redesigning the NERP because the plan is under the jurisdiction of Neptune Township.
They should have totally opposed it from the start, and no change in leadership has ever produced a change in opinion regarding this disgraceful project. —PG
OCEAN GROVE HOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION
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HPC REVIEW OF NORTH END REDEVELOPMENT PLANS
Tuesday April 6 – 7:00pm
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Read More about the HPC Review
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Note: this will be the first review meeting. Over subsequent Tuesday evenings OGNED will present additional components of the project – retail, condominiums, and private homes.
WHAT TO EXPECT
• You will see the attorney, architect, and possible additional witnesses for OGNED present their architectural elevation plans for the North End to the HPC attorney and commission members.
• OGNED needs an HPC Certificate of Appropriateness to proceed before they go to Zoning and Construction to begin building the project. HPC Certificates of Appropriateness are used nation-wide in thousands of municipalities with historic districts such as Ocean Grove.
• “Appropriate” in this case refers to Ocean Grove’s period of significance, which is 1870 – 1910.
• The applicant, OGNED, will make its case that its architectural plans reflect buildings that would have been built in the Period of Significance, are in compliance with the North End Redevelopment Plan, and follow the Ocean Grove Historic District Architectural Guidelines for Residential and Commercial Structures.
• HPC members will question the applicant on various aspects of its intended plans.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
• You can ask the witnesses, (i.e. architects, possibly other professionals) pertinent questions about the architectural plans for the project. In some meetings, attendees can ask questions after each witness. In other meetings, attendees are only allowed to ask questions after all witnesses have testified, during the “public comment” at the end of the meeting. Attendees will be told near the beginning of the meeting which practice they will follow.
• Questions will probably be limited to 5 minutes per person, as is usual with other NT boards and commissions, and you will need to give your name and address.
• This project has been approved to be built by the Neptune Township (NT) Redevelopment Committee, the NT Committee, the NT Planning Board, and most recently by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection / Division of Land Resource Protection / Coastal Area Facility Review Act of 1973 (CAFRA).
• You will encouraged to focus your questions on the architecture of the project and not on aspects that have been previously approved. You can ask questions and comment on where you think the plans meet, exceed, or fall short of compliance with the Design Guidelines. You can click on the links to the Design Guidelines here to read them, though HPC usually refer to relevant Guidelines: https://neptunetownship.org/departments/historic-preservation-commission-hpcThank you in advance for civic participation in this. These meetings should be interesting and they will have lasting impact on Ocean Grove. Everyone’s goal is to have a North End Development of which we can all be proud, that is architecturally iconic, and that will best fit in with the look, feel, and architecture of Ocean Grove.
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You are correct. DISGRACEFUL project. Every aspect of it.
So angry.