Corner of Pilgrim and Main, on the north side of Main. Blogfinger photo. 9/20/22 © Click image for details.
TO THE EDITOR:
September 20, 2022.
Paul
I don’t know if you have been downtown lately but the restaurant on the corner of Main and Pilgrim now has barriers across the public’s right of way where in the past their tables were at least near the street side.
The store should not be the ones designating where the public right of way should be.
KEVIN (CHAMBERS), Ocean Grove, New Jersey.
The writer is a long-standing resident of OG and a former President of the Historical Society of Ocean Grove.
EDITOR’S NOTE Kev: This is outrageous. How long has this been going on?
COMMENT from David H. Fox
Neptune Township does have a regulation:
§ 13-3.1
Permit Required.
[Ord. No. 151 § 1]
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to display, exhibit, deposit or maintain or cause to be displayed, exhibited, deposited or maintained in or on any of the streets, avenues, highways or sidewalks of the Township any goods, wares, merchandise, building materials, encroachments, encumbrances or obstructions of any kind or character without first obtaining from the Township Committee, or its duly authorized agent, a permit so to do.
PEGGY LEE:
One more thing—– if someone miscalculates the distance or trips over that curb, it could be very unfortunate.
The yellow stanchions are ugly. And I also add that walking past the restaurant on the sidewalk is grossly limited, hairy and dangerous. Maybe the owners do not appreciate efforts to maintain the historic nature of the town, for which we have the distinction of being listed as a national historic landmark. It looks tacky.
Kev: Double standards are a kiss of death for any community that wants to maintain equal justice under the law; a basic principle in this country .
And the HPC is in danger of losing all credibility due to inconsistent enforcement of its guidelines.
The question is, is this going to get out of hand? If a private individual can block a public right of way, what will stop others in the community from putting these same yellow polls up through out the town on the streets to establish private parking spaces for individual home owners?
Also, were these un-Victorian poles approved by the HPC for downtown?
If they make the OG homeowner jump through hoops for approvals, why not store owners?
David H.Fox, you are 100% correct !
Neptune Township does have a regulation:
§ 13-3.1
Permit Required.
[Ord. No. 151 § 1]
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to display, exhibit, deposit or maintain or cause to be displayed, exhibited, deposited or maintained in or on any of the streets, avenues, highways or sidewalks of the Township any goods, wares, merchandise, building materials, encroachments, encumbrances or obstructions of any kind or character without first obtaining from the Township Committee, or its duly authorized agent, a permit so to do.
Stop by there Paul – The corner restaurant has their tables so spread out, it severely narrows pedestrian access when they’re open. It causes a bottleneck on the sidewalk. Got a wheelchair? Forget about it! Plus there are only a handful of tables inside (poor space planning by the current tenants – remember all the booths the old pizzeria used to have?).
I appreciate the writer’s concern however I have a difference of opinion. Not only is the food delicious, but we are lucky to have this restaurant in town. There are too few options in town and I hope many will give them the business they need to survive and thrive. It’s good business for them and it’s good for Ocean Grove. The tables outside expands the clientele and it’s not such a big deal to walk around the tables. Others in town also have outside seating and it is a pleasure to see folks enjoying themselves in this manner.
It appears that he doesn’t want to share his tables with neighboring business….It must be an issue when things get busy. It looks unsightly, and wonder why code officials aren’t overseeing this…