Many years ago, a group called WAVE began to plan the redevelopment of Ocean Grove’s North End. Many years later, they still have not finished the job.
By Jack Bredin and Paul Goldfinger @ Blogfinger.net
You can’t blame us for being jaded regarding the North End. After all, this redevelopment plan has been in the cards for years. You may recall that the original NERP has been on hold because of what? WAVE, the elusive redevelopment group who has never produced a set of construction plans or a redevelopers agreement, supposedly has been working on financing.
Meanwhile, several years ago, WAVE tried to announce a new plan supported by Randy Bishop and the OGHOA, but that plan never was approved, and so we still are dealing with the original concept that would offer 165 new residential units at the North End, a hotel, and an underground parking garage.
Yesterday we heard from a citizen reporter who noticed some “digging” going on at the North End.
He took a photo (above) and said, “They had been digging this morning. They dig about 3 feet deep then take measurements of the hole and soil samples. Think they could be perk tests? What do your followers think?”
Thanks, Frank Gosh
Then, at last night’s Township Committee meeting, the Township Attorney, Gene Anthony, said that WAVE is “close to putting together their financials.” There was no discussion, so who knows what this means, but presumably they are assembling financing and a letter of credit from a bank that will prove to the Township that it can pay to implement the NERP. They will also need an engineering estimate of cost along with an engineering plan. A deposit cashiers check will be required and a schedule of time/stages to complete the work. Then, there is the Redeveloper’s Agreement…
In the October 30, 2016 BF article we said, “Isn’t it time to bring in a new North End plan? This one is a losing proposition and should be replaced by something that will improve the town, not the developers and politicians. Where are the Home Groaners??”
We have made it crystal clear in multiple past articles that the only official North End Redevelopment Plan was passed by the Township Committee in 2008, and since then no changes have been made. Only the Township Committee can make changes and if they wanted to do so they would have to start the whole process over again including public hearings, redeveloper bidding, etc. And note that the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is still part of the plan as the land owner. WAVE is still the redeveloper, and the identities of the people involved in WAVE have yet to be made public.
And finally no Redevelopers Agreement has been signed between WAVE and the Neptune Township Committee.
Regarding the so-called “New NERP,” below is a link to our last post regarding this subject. It shows a concept drawing illustrating a sharp reduction in residential units. Nothing has changed since this April 28, 2015 Blogfinger article.
On November 26, 2016, at the latest OG Homeowners Assoc. meeting, one of the topics discussed was the North End redevelopment. Since the President was not present, the meeting was presided over by Vice President Richard Williams.
According to our reporter, Williams stated that he hoped the North End would “rise up and be re-developed.” Williams asserted that there was “a new plan which would cut the density in half.”
But he seriously misinformed the membership in a very public way. He evidently didn’t know that the “new plan” lies dead and dormant and thus is totally useless.
Certainly the Township Attorney, Gene Anthony, has never agreed that such a new plan has ever been legally approved, even though ex-Committeeman Randy Bishop spoke publicly about it in 2015, as did HOA officials who have bragged in the past that they made the new plan happen.
At last Saturday’s meeting, during the public comment portion, Grover Jack Bredin brought out the truth that “the new plan was never approved by the Township.” He also reminded the HOA that the NERP is a public project, so there is no rationale for the HOA to make their case to the Camp Meeting Association.
He also responded to complaints by members at the meeting that if they were worried about trash, weeds, sloppy fencing, or any other messes at the North End, that would be the Township’s job to correct, not the CMA.
It really would be a wonderful service if the Home Groaners actually told the truth to the public. The HOA trustees should slow down, go out for coffee, and get their facts straight.
