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Archive for the ‘Ocean GRove parking issues’ Category

When will Neptune Township appear again before the Site Improvement Advisory Board?

Posted in Ocean GRove parking issues, tagged , on December 24, 2015|

Seeking the truth on Blogfinger. Paul Goldfinger photo. 2014. © Ft. Myers, Fla.

Seeking the truth on Blogfinger. Paul Goldfinger photo. 2014. © Ft. Myers, Fla.

By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

Our recent articles about the Neptune Township application  for a Special Area Parking Standard  (ie an exemption for all of Ocean Grove from the current RSIS regulations) indicate that the Township’s application on December 17 was dismissed “without prejudice,” and the Township was told that they had to start the process anew.

We don’t know exactly why Neptune Township failed to show up that day, except for their stating that their attorney couldn’t make the meeting at the last minute. It was the planner who was supposed to make the presentation, but she wasn’t there.    The SIAB refers to what happened as Neptune Township “withdrew the application.”

We were told by a resident of Ocean Grove that she was informed on December 16th  that the Dec. 17 meeting was to be cancelled and that the SIAB would hear the application again on Jan. 13.  Her information was wrong and she never revealed  her source even though we asked for it.

The  truth is that there is no way that the process can be completed again in January, and no SIAB meetings with Neptune Twp. are scheduled in January.

Even if the Township were to submit another completed application, the Board would have to publish it in the New Jersey Register and announce a date when the streets and parking committee will meet.  This cannot happen until at least 15 days after the publication date.

Township officials may go to Trenton to meet informally with the Board. Working meetings might occur, usually regarding a general strategy about what is required to complete an application.  But there are no  working meetings currently scheduled in Trenton with the Township.

In fact, per Mr. John Lago of the Dept. of Community Affairs, “The staff has not heard anything from local officials since they withdrew the application.”

Note that part of the process which has to be followed includes public meetings.    When the Township Committee schedules those meetings, we plan to be there and we will encourage a large number of you to join us.  Last time around, the Township announced the application and quickly swept the subject under the rug so that no one could oppose their plans.  For some reason, the SIAB let that pass then; but not next time. We emphasized that point in Trenton on Dec. 17 when some of us got to speak to the Board chairman and others.

At last night’s Committee meeting, Jack Bredin of Ocean Grove requested that when the public hearings are held, that they be held in Ocean Grove.

ACADEMY OF ST.-MARTIN-IN-THE FIELDS (London)   Canon in D  by Johann Pachelbel.

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Letter to the Editor: Let’s get the Home Owners Ass. moving on the North End and RSIS issues!

Posted in Blogfinger letter to the editor, Ocean Grove North End Redevelopment Plan, Ocean Grove opinions, Ocean GRove parking issues, tagged on December 22, 2015| 4 Comments »

 

Blogfinger in the spin cycle. © Don't make me dizzy. Photographer unknown.

Blogfinger in the spin cycle. © Don’t make me dizzy. Photographer unknown.

To the Editor:

Below is a letter we sent to the OGHOA regarding their being MIA on RSIS parking issues and asking what their strategy is.  

I believe that, beyond contacting Mr. Lago at the Dept. of Community Affairs, we should encourage your readers to write to the OGHOA and ask/request that they initiate/increase their efforts on this critically important issue.  Ocean Grovers need to begin to hold the OGHOA accountable for being our advocates.  Let’ start a letter writing campaign/groundswell to get OGHOA moving.

Dear OGHOA:

We live in Ocean Grove.  Parking is an important concern for our family and I found it curious, if not outright disturbing, that no representative of the OGHOA went to Trenton last week to lobby against changes to the application of RSIS standards within OG.  

You are well aware that if Neptune Township is successful in negating these regulations, an explosion of condos will result, as will further exacerbation of the current parking shortage.  These dynamics could well jeopardize our Historic District designation.   This is an issue that is directly in the sweet spot for the OGHOA.

Further, I am mystified that you have not, to my knowledge, filed complaints/legal challenges with appropriate State agencies regarding the non-compliance of recent real estate projects.  How many condos will you watch being built that don’t provide adequate parking before you act?

  And, importantly, we have not seen evidence of the OGHOA being part of the dialogue for the likely non-compliance of the North End development (will an underground parking lot meet the full RSIS requirements?  Not likely).  To date, it appears that Blogfinger is the only entity that is fighting back

The RSIS regulations give you a very powerful tool to control development.   What are you doing to assure these regulations are enforced and prevent circumnavigation of existing parking standards by Neptune Township and their crony developers (other than passively watching it all play out)?   We need you to be activists on this issue.  I’m sure all residents of OG would like to understand your strategy for managing this issue to OG’s advantage.  Please let us know what you are doing.

Sincerely,

DAVID HEPLER is a resident of Ocean Grove

December 21, 2015

Editor’s Note:  Here is the “hook” regarding the RSIS rules.  If someone wants to put up a condo building with the RSIS standards in place, then it will be impossible for them to comply, because they would have to put the parking on their lot or lots. Since that would be impossible in most situations, then a single family house or an empty lot is the only option.  Single family houses should get the exemption from the State because if someone wants to put up a single family house, there will be no room for the required driveway and parking. So the exemption for them would create a single family Victorian house with no driveway or garage, a situation that is not only historic but is very Grovey.  —-Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger

DAVID.   Thanks for that constructive comment.  We should ring some bells for you.  Where are those Del-Vikings?

 

 

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Blogfinger receives the latest official communication between the Dept. of Community Affairs and Neptune Township.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean GRove parking issues, RISS standards in Ocean Grove, tagged on October 16, 2015| 4 Comments »

Today Blogfinger has received some more details about this matter. This is Part 2 on this topic:

In November, 2014, a meeting was held, at the request of Neptune Township,  between town officials/consultants  and the  SIAB’s  (Site Improvement Advisory Board)  streets and parking committee to discuss how Neptune might obtain a special area parking standard  (ie exemption) according to the RISS rules.  The meeting concluded that Ocean Grove qualifies for such consideration. They also concluded that Neptune Township had to follow procedures including formal acceptance by the Township.

But somehow, Neptune failed to adequately complete the application properly and thus, on June 18, 2015, at the Board’s public meeting, due to the fact that “Neptune hadn’t yet submitted a formal application, its members approved a motion to dismiss without prejudice this topic from its agenda.”

On July 15, 2015, a letter was sent to Mayor Jahn from Joseph H. Doyle, Jr., Chairman of the New Jersey Site Improvement Advisory Board. We have a copy of that letter.  In it, he tells her that the request for a special area parking standard for the historic Ocean Grove neighborhood has been taken off the table.

Today, October 15, 2015,  we received a copy of an email dated August 20, 2015, which represents the most recent contact between the DCA and Neptune officials.

That  email, below, is  from Mr. John Lago, DCA Housing Research Manager to Jennifer Beahm, who is the planner from CME Associates who wrote the application dated July, 2015.

“Thank you for the paper and electronic copies of the special area parking and street standards for the Ocean Grove neighborhood in Neptune Township, Monmouth County.  The paper copy was delivered to the Department on August 7, 2015.  An electronic version was shared with the Site Improvement Advisory Board (SIAB).  The material is close to a complete application.  Two items are still needed:

  1. A resolution from the municipal governing body that briefly describes the application and the reason for the exception to the Residential Site Improvement Standards (RSIS).  This requirement is specified at NJAC 5:21-3.5 (e) 1; and,
  1. Proof of publication by the municipality that Neptune Township is seeking approval of a special area standard.  A notice of the special area standard, like the one drafted for your application, must be published in a local paper.  It should briefly describe the special area standards, let those in the public know a copy of the application is available with the municipal clerk, and tell them how to get a copy of this information.  (See NJAC 5:21-3.5(c)1.i.)

Once the Department has this, it will file a notice in the NJ Register of receipt of the application, including a summary of the contents, and the time, place and date of the public meeting at which it will be discussed.  This will officially announce receipt of a complete application and begin the process  SIAB goes through to publicly review the application. 

Editor’s note:  We will continue reporting on this subject.  It is about more than the request for an exemption to the RISS parking rules. It is also about the way that development has occurred in our historic town. We will see if the State sees through the request which is, at its core, a smooth sailing pass-through for developers in a town that is already too developed.

The people of Ocean Grove care about parking, but parking questions are just symptoms of bigger related issues including quality of life, fresh air, peace and quiet,and  maintaining  the town as an authentic place with character and beauty and not just a source of riches for developers and taxes for politicians. The politicians in this town have a pattern of ignoring us in Ocean Grove. This RISS matter is part of that.  Why do you think that they are pushing this exemption?

The State says that it  is concerned about preserving our history as it considers the request, and we hope it gives a voice to our citizens as it has promised to do.  We will be presenting some of the highlights from the application, especially the parts that justify the special exemption.  And if it does reach the Planning Board, we should crowd that room in opposition.—-Paul Goldfinger  Editor @Blogfinger.

FATHER JOHN MISTY:   “Nancy from Now On”   It’s a moody thing, but the last part of the lyric—-watch out!

“Forgive me how it was
A place under the sun
Before the devil made me run
Run boy, run boy”

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What is the price of nonsense? The RISS application is worthless.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove historical preservation, Ocean GRove parking issues, tagged on October 1, 2015| 10 Comments »

Speaking of density in Ocean Grove, do you think more condos will do us any good? Paul Goldfinger photo 2015 © Blogfinger.net

Speaking of density in Ocean Grove, do you think more condos will do us any good? Paul Goldfinger photo 2015 © Blogfinger.net

How much do you think the Township paid for the 31 page RISS application for a “special area standard” prepared by Jennifer Beahm,PP, AICP,  of CME Associates?  Whatever the amount, and it is probably a lot of taxpayer dollars, the Township should ask for a refund because it is nonsense; because those 31 pages are a hoax.

The Township has asked the State of New Jersey to carve out Ocean Grove from the RISS standards.  If the State approves, what will OG get?  The RSIS standards require that off-street parking be provided whenever a developer wants to construct a multi-family building which, most of the time. means condominiums or perhaps another  Warrington-style conversion (rest home to hotel.)

Therefore, if this waiver is granted, the next time condos are proposed and given a variance or just an OK from Town Hall, there will be more cars on our already crowded streets.  What a deal!  This approval will allow condos in situations when single family homes would be built instead, as preferred by most OG citizens and by our Master Plan.

The application asserts with a laborious analysis that Ocean Grove has enough parking to meet its needs. It even mentions the hundreds of spaces that Grovers can find nearby in A. Park and Bradley Beach. Essentially they argue that we don’t need the RISS because we don’t need that off-street parking when condos go in.

After all, that has been the MO for years here. Just build it  and then let all occupants  park on the street.  Do you suppose that the Township’s  decision is influenced by the fact that off-street parking is really hard to do in Ocean Grove for reasons of space and is really expensive for developers to provide?   When were any of those earlier condo decisions done to benefit those of us who already live in this town?  Did any of those projects produce a result that was good for our historic/architectural goals, density goals or quality of life goals?

The application argues that OG is quite built-up already, so there won’t be much of that type of activity occurring anyhow. If so, then why bother the SIAB  (Site Improvement Advisory Board) with all this?  Why not just let things be the way they are?  After all, which is better for our town’s historical designations:   more condos or more Victorian style single family homes?      These people talk out of both sides of their mouths in order to achieve a hidden agenda.  It’s the only explanation that makes sense.

The ridiculous part of this sad story is that Neptune is lying to the State as to the reason for the waiver.  The application is full of bull&#  that the waiver is essential to protect Ocean Grove’s historical heritage and quality of life. OMG, they say, we can’t abide the massive amounts of curb cuts that will be needed for the off-street parking.  They  say that curb cuts will reduce the amount of on street parking and threaten our historic designations.  How absurd is that?  I have seen apartment houses in Asbury Park that offer underground parking for many vehicles using one or two curb cuts.   Do you think a net decrease in street parking spaces would be the result of that?

Let’s face it, this has nothing to do with history or even parking,  and everything to do with greed.

The SIAB  (Site Improvement Advisory Board) is supposed to be a group of experts  that will worry about the  historical protection of our town and about what is best for the citizens. But they are being sold a dishonest tale in this application, so  let’s hope they see through the morass of double talk in that document.

I urge all of you to read the application and see how wrong it really is. If the Township is so concerned about OG history and our welfare, then why did they hide this request from us?  You can get a copy of the  document from the Neptune Clerk’s office; just fill out an OPRA form–it is easy to do.

A copy of this article will be forwarded to the NJ Department of Community Affairs.  They do want to hear from citizens of Ocean Grove.

–Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger—we need music after reading this.  It’s healthier than alcohol.

LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III  (music from the movie the Aviator)

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