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Posts Tagged ‘North End DEP application’

Neptune applies to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection for permission to develop the OG North End. We posted this one year ago (2020), and it still applies.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, tagged , on March 26, 2021| 4 Comments »

Is there something suspicious going on at the North End? Who is looking at this on behalf of we the people?  (This is a scene from “Twin Peaks.”)

 

By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor@Blogfinger.net   This article  is re-posted now from March 22, 2020–exactly one year ago:

 

A copy of a letter was sent to BF by a Grover who lives at the North End. It was written by a consultant and dated March 19, 2020.  It is addressed to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Land Use Regulation in Trenton.

It is from The Lomax Consulting Group of Cape May which represents Neptune Township.  Click on it for easier reading.  Below the letter is the Materials Plan.

CAFRA*:  Coastal Area Facility Review Act. This act is about protecting our ocean shoreline.

When I read this letter, the first thing I noticed was that the Atlantic Ocean was not mentioned or shown on the site plan. Do you suppose that was intentional?  After all, if one is considering the North End Plan’s environmental impact, very close to the beach, wouldn’t the main concern be about the Ocean?  Maybe they hope that some paper shuffler in Trenton might miss that important point.

They also refer to the boutique hotel as being a replacement of a demolished “historic hotel.”  But would that be accurate from a historic perspective?  Where is the HSOG on this?  And, is the hotel shown built on a street?

I also don’t see any mention of the underground garage.  Would that not be an important environmental concern given that this project has boundaries on a natural lake and on an ocean?  Have they given up the plan for an underground garage?  If not, why isn’t it shown in the enclosed site plan?

And a five story hotel?   And two “3-4 story multi-family  buildings…”  Does zoning allow for these heights?  Won’t that ruin the views for the neighborhood?

Also the letter doesn’t mention “condominiums,” and the misleading language suggests that the “2 multi-family buildings” contain only 39 units.  And are they detached or not?  Who are they kidding?

The letter says that its description is “brief” and that there is a “complete permit application package.”   But the public should be able to have at least one hearing to consider a presentation as well as a  Q and A.

You may recall that OGNED came to the OGHOA meeting to discuss the plan, but OGNED refused to answer many questions, and the Groaners permitted that censorship.

It’s too bad that the HOA doesn’t  have a consulting lawyer to look at these things on behalf of the citizens of the Grove and to demand public hearings.

Maybe the underutilized Parking Alliance should change its focus and take a hard look, on behalf of we the people, at this project which is on the verge of becoming a reality.   It’s a lot more important and suspicious than the hocus pocus parking mess.

And maybe the Township and developers are manipulating this CAFRA application through while everyone is distracted by COVID-19.

This application should be put on hold until such time as everyone’s attention is available, and the Mayor has the power to put this thing on hold.

The Township could be petitioned to press the “pause” button.

 

Editor’s note on 3/26/21:

Isn’t it interesting that the application to the DEP  (above) seems to be from Neptune Township  (as it should,)  but the eventual response from the DEP is addressed to the OGNED re-developers.

This smells like Neptune has turned over ownership of the process to Gannon/Brudner  (OGNED)  when they should legally still be in charge of this “Zone in Need of Redevelopment”   They can’t slyly slip away as if they are saying, “Who me?”

That’s the same game that the CMA  played when they dropped out as re-developers.

As Jack says, the Township is  still liable if trouble develops.   PG

 

JOHN DENVER.  “Farewell Andromeda. (Welcome to My Morning)”

 

“Welcome to my morning
Welcome to my day
I’m the one responsible
I made it just this way.”

 

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Latest North End/DEP information…

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove environmental concerns, Ocean Grove North End Redevelopment Plan, Ocean Grove opinions, tagged , on October 27, 2020| 1 Comment »

Speaking of environmental: Will the North End Plan take care of increased ground water that could pollute the ocean and the lake? Blogfinger photo.

 

By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor @Blogfinger.net.

October 26, 2020.  Ocean Grove, NJ

 

The DEP application has been held up for months now; we don’t know all the details about what is delaying approval, but our last communication with the DEP  (Oct. 8)  is linked below.

In it, the DEP Press Officer told us:

“Paul, nothing has been approved at this point. The fact that the application has been deemed complete only means the DEP has been provided all the required information to now put the proposal up for public review and comment.”

 

North End update on Blogfinger Oct. 8, 2020

 

I have also checked the latest DEP Bimonthly Bulletin, but there is nothing there about the North End application. I will look into that further.  If nothing else, Blogfinger will shine a light on the opaque and sneaky OGNED.

Remember when they came to the Groaners’ meeting, refusing to answer certain questions, and the Groaners supported that censorship?  What do the Groaners stand for?

We have reached this point without any updated public statements on the subject by Neptune Township, the CMA, the Home Groaners, or the opaque and secretive OGNED.  The bottom line is that nothing has been approved yet, and public comments will have to be solicited.

The letter below, dated Oct. 20, 2020, is written by the Lomax Consulting Group which has been representing OGNED, the self-proclaimed North End Re-developer. We believe that the letter was sent to everyone who owns a home within 200 feet of the North End project.

The letter was shared with us by an anonymous source.  He/she says, “Just received this updated notification of the application for a CAFRA permit for the north end.   The only difference from the original one received in March is the location now includes Part of Lot 5 and the End of Beach Avenue which were not on the original application as well as the NJDEP File Number.   There is no change to the plan attached to the application.”

Click on letter and site plan for easier reading. 

Note that the letter doesn’t spell out the process whereby public hearings might be held.   The only way that the fraudulent aspects of this application might be exposed is if knowledgeable OG organizations or individuals formally contact the DEP to request hearings to be held in the Grove.

In a normal town, the Home Owners Association would step up and make sure that the interests of  OG residents are represented, but our HOA is useless when it comes to advocacy in the face of dangerous issues such as  what OGNED, CMA and Neptune Townships are planning for the North End.  But if anyone does want to formally request such an inquiry, they need to send a letter with return receipt requested.  

As we have pointed out, the plan which Lomax submitted to the NJDEP is not the one approved by the Neptune Township Committee back in 2008 which included 165 condominiums.  And it is not the one which Mayor Rizzo carelessly signed off on in her “Redevelopers Agreement” with OGNED last year.

 

Site plan submitted to NJDEPfor Block 101, lots 3&4, parts of loat 2 and 54, and end of Beach Avenue

 


Editor’s note:   Read that letter.  They don’t mention an “underground garage,”  only 140 spaces  “covered by a podium deck..”  The total parking is 155 spaces.  Where are the other 15?

They also mention a “historic hotel.”  That is clearly nonsensical and dishonest  terminology.

Speaking of “historic;”

 

The Lenape Indians probably were in Ocean Grove back when, so tents are truly historic for the North End. And so were bikinis on the beach.  Let’s turn the North End into Tent Village II. Source: Google says so.

 

And they say, “The project will not result in the adverse impact on environmentally sensitive areas”  Really?  Are Wesley Lake and the Atlantic Ocean “environmentally sensitive areas?”

 

Let’s not let Ocean Grove slip slide away:  

 

PAUL SIMON    2011 in London at the iTunes Festival

“Slip slidin’ away
Slip slidin’ away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away.”

 

 

 

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