A typical Ocean Grove historic neighborhood. Submitted by Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net. The proposed North End plan will be from the same school of historic design that gave us the Greek Temple on Ocean Avenue. It won’t look like this.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD. Editor Blogfinger.net 2019.
This is what the Master Plan (2011) says about new construction in the historic district: “…..encouraging new construction that is compatible in scale and design to the physicalcharacter of the surrounding neighborhood.”
And this is what Municipal Land Use Law says: “The MLUL responds to a generally held belief that those sections of a municipality that still bear the visual imprint of the past should be preserved. The concept is that existing buildings in historic areas should be retained, or at least as their exteriors, and that new buildings in such areas should be on the same scale and should have facades compatible with the older buildings.
Does this sound like what those altruistic developers (OGNED), CMA, and Neptune Township have in mind for the over 5 acres at the North End which they allege is being done according to historic principles?
Let’s face it, historic preservation and replication is not what is going on over there. The idea that bringing back the North End Hotel site is historic is like looking at an archaeologic site in Israel where scientists have their eyes on history going back 3000 years and not on some Ottoman casino which burned down in 1910.
They may get what they want, but it is wrong and is being misrepresented to the Ocean Grove public.
And let’s mention the 2008 ruling that allowed the Township, on the behalf of WAVE and the CMA, to change the zoning from single family residential to mixed use due to the designation of that area as an “area in need of redevelopment.” This is NJ Law as to the criteria for that designation:
“Areas, in excess of five contiguous acres, whereon buildings or improvements have been destroyed, consumed by fire, demolished or altered by the action of storm, fire, cyclone, tornado, earthquake or other casualty in such a way that the aggregate assessed value of the area has been materially depreciated.”
The OG North End was misrepresented as an area of over 5 acres. In addition, the land’s value was not shown to be materially depreciated. Today it is worth a large sum of money—-no one has released the price tag when the CMA sells to OGNED.
Another excuse was that the land suffered from many Code violations, but those were easily corrected. There was a law suit which Kevin Chambers lost over this, but that doesn’t mean that he was wrong.
Submitted by Rich Amole., Blogfinger staff. Postcard is from August, 3, 1906. The Auditorium was built in 1894, so it was 12 years old when this postcard was sent. There is no big cross in front. CLICK TO ENLARGE.
Pilgrim Pathway view. Dec 26, 2022. Paul Goldfinger photograph. The big cross is there on CMA religious property, so it is appropriate. But how about the pier in the shape of a cross? Click photo to see details.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net
Rich Amole who submitted this postcard notes the horse and buggy in front. The white structure seems to be a fountain or a Victorian planter. The big cross in front is not yet in place.
You can see the adjacent tents on the right, still present. It is not referred to here as the “Great Auditorium,” only the “Auditorium” (which is often still true today.)
Robin Lamont from the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the 1971 off-Broadway show Godspell. This folk rock song, “Day by Day,” by composer Stephen Schwartz was the 3rd song in the show:
F.W. Beers map dated 1873, 4 years after OG founding. From the Blogfinger.net archives. Click to enlarge. Scanned from the original map.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD. Editor, Blogfinger.net
This F.W. Beer’s map segment is dated 1873. It is from an atlas of Monmouth County and it covers parts of Ocean and Shrewsbury Townships. The scale is 160 rods to the inch. How many of you are interested in the history and geography of this area? Let’s all send in comments based on your observations of this map or related bits of history that you know.. Please keep it brief, and we can form a sort of mosaic of information to go with the map.
Here is a useful tool: Click on the image, and the map gets a bit bigger. But then, run your cursor over the map and you will see a plus sign. Put that over an area of interest and click again. —P.G.
HISTORICAL COMMITTEE FINDINGS: (send your observations by commenting below or email to blogfinger@verizon.net and we will add your opinion to the list below.)
1. Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger: In 1873, Ocean Grove was part of Ocean Township. Note that there is no Avon, Bradley Beach, Spring Lake or Neptune. Deal Lake is called Boyleston Great Pond, and there is no Allenhurst. Instead, north of Boyleston Pond, there is the Allen House owned by A. Allen.
2. Lee Morgan: Paul, Just to the south of Greens Pond, around where Deal or Long Branch would be today, is a reference to US Grant. Did he live or vacation at that spot??Lee
3. BeZee: Well, look at Wesley Lake! Washed by the ocean, fed by a freshwater stream that ran all the way out to Whitesville, (later called Wesley Brook). People actually used to drink the water. Nice while it lasted. But the ocean outlet was plugged by the CMA early on to provide a reliable source of aquatic recreation. Then the area surrounding the brook became populated by a “careless population” that used it to dispose of all sorts of crap (literally). Which created a “disgusting” situation that the town fathers thought to address by means of a “catch basin” at the head of the Lake. Not sure that ever happened. But a constant source of complaints in the OG Annual Reports 1900-1910 or so. So when there are complaints about the condition of the Lake now, just know that it used to be worse…
4. Paul @Blogfinger: Lee. I know that a number of US Presidents did visit Long Branch. They have the 7 Presidents Park there today, and one of those 7 who visited there was Grant. Grant also visited Ocean Grove. He parked his horse outside the gates and walked over to drink tea at a woman’s house on Wesley Lake. She supposedly was his sister.
5. NJ Commenter: To Lee Morgan: US Grant owned a cottage at 995 Ocean Ave in the Elberon section of Long Branch. It was the summer White House from 1869 to 1876. The cottage was demolished in 1963; it stood on the property now adjacent to the Stella Maris Retreat House. There are several photos available online with President and Mrs. Grant relaxing on their porch with family and friends.
6. Focused: The only significant interesting thing about this map is the center of Ocean Grove where a huge pile of earth that has never been dealt with still divides a number of east and west running streets in the Grove. So those streets ended up having different names depending on which side of this pile of earth you lived on.
7. Paul @Blogfinger: Notice the unnamed north-south roadway to the immediate west of OG. Undoubtedly that became Rt. 71 later. The houses out there belonged to pre-existing families having nothing to do with the Camp Meeting, including names like White, Bennet, Youman. The Bennet name is all over that area. Some of those families probably sold land to the OGCMA as they bought up quite a few small properties in 1869 to stitch together the town of Ocean Grove.
Note the lumber yard and the toll house (maybe where the cookies were first baked.),
Also, at the north end of Asbury Park is a lake (probably Sunset Lake) with a road running west to Wegmans featuring Mallomars on sale every September—not shown on this map.
8 Wisher: It is interesting how Whitesville disappeared, when it was so prominent on the map. Every time I drive down Neptune Avenue and pass that forest area to the right next to Shop Rite, I wonder what artifacts might be there. I think the town may have stretched from The Shop Rite area to the circle/roundabout on 35.
Please keep the history comments coming in. The music will post below
The old Neptune Township Municipal Building. This undated photo hangs on the wall of the Township Committee. It should be an inspiration.The “historic district” of Ocean Grove needs its own Committeeman—taxation with representation.
Each Jan 1, a Neptune Twp. government organization ceremony is held at the Neptune Twp. Municipal Building at noon.
Here is a modest idea for fairness: Give Ocean Grove its own representative on the Committee. Change the form of government.
This photograph (with permission) is the first in Ted Bell’s ” Images of America: Ocean Grove.” CLICK TO ENLARGE
BLOGFINGER RE-RUN FROM 2010. It’s important that more people other than tourists learn OG history. This timeline gives some perspective for new Grovers and others who ought to educate themselves to this sequence of events. Thus we periodically re-post this timeline.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @Blogfinger.net.
Ocean Grove’s history is a fascinating saga about how a Methodist summer community founded in 1869 eventually evolved into a historic and diverse year-round tourist town while preserving its religious and architectural characteristics.
Sure it’s about the Camp Meeting Association (CMA), the Great Auditorium, the tents, and the famous religious figures who took center stage since the founding, but there is so much more to tell, particularly about the town’s secular history including: its governance; the multiple attempts to secede from Neptune; the successful but temporary creation of an independent secular Borough of Ocean Grove in 1920; opening of the gates in 1979; loss of governance by the CMA in 1980; the decline of the “blue laws”; the extraordinary successes of the Ocean Grove Homeowner’s Association as they transform OG from shabbiness to renaissance by the 1990’s; the remarkable demographic changes of the 1990’s including the growth of the gay community, the amazing musical heritage, the fights over taxes, and there is so much more.
The Historical Society of Ocean Grove has offered wonderful exhibits about such topics as the women’s suffrage movement and the African-American “history trail” here, and we at Blogfinger have run two pieces about John Phillip Sousa in Ocean Grove as well as the account of Paul Robeson’s 1925 concert in the Great Auditorium.
We plan to continue our series of articles on some of the less well known accounts in Ocean Grove’s history, especially focusing on secular events. We will begin the process of digging into Ocean Grove’s fascinating past with a time-line. It’s important for Grovers to know this history. You may be surprised by some of the items below:
1869: Ocean Grove is founded by the Rev. William Osborne and his colleagues. They form the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church (CMA) and begin purchasing land. The town is part of Ocean Township. The CMA’s goal is to provide and maintain a Christian seaside resort.
1870: The New Jersey Legislature grants a charter to CMA which allows them to govern in Ocean Grove. They can make ordinances, establish a police department and a court of law, and administer all infrastructure and services including schools, sanitation and library.
The town is designed “from scratch,” becoming one of the first planned communities in the US. The first lots are “sold” (i.e. leased) from the CMA which retains ownership of all the land. The first cottage is built in 1870.
1872: Over 300 cottages have been built.
1875: Rev Adam Wallace founds the Ocean Grove Record, the town’s first newspaper. Rev. E. H. Stokes, the first CMA President says, regarding the gate closure on Sunday, that “there is no human probability that these rules will ever be revoked.” The first train from New York arrives in OG. People begin to stay year round.
1879: The NJ Legislature creates Neptune Township by carving it out of Ocean Township and incorporates Ocean Grove’s boundaries as part of Neptune. Ocean Grove CMA and lot/home owners pay taxes to Neptune. Leaseholders (“lessees”) must continue to pay “ground rent” to the CMA.
The CMA refuses all services from Neptune and continues to function as the “governing authority,” maintaining rigid control in OG. Physical isolation within its boundaries, “blue laws,” land ownership, and a homogeneous population of Methodists contribute to the sustained CMA rule. Ocean Grove is, in practice, a theocracy. But that will become a problem for them over 100 years later.
1897: The first mention of tax discontentment appears as CMA President Bishop Fitzgerald speaks publicly about Neptune’s tax bill and says, “Of the discrimination against us in the matter of taxation does not as yet seem to admit of remedy.”
1898: Ocean Grove’s “lessees,” who pay property taxes to Neptune Township, want the CMA to pay the land taxes to Neptune. A suit is brought by the homeowners, but in 1900 the NJ Supreme Court sides with the CMA.
1912: Ocean Grove’s citizens want to participate in the town’s governance, so they elect a Board of Representative Lessees to join with the CMA in managing the town’s affairs. There was unrest, with many citizens disliking this peculiar arrangement and wanting Ocean Grove to be a regular town with an elected secular government.
1915: the Ocean Grove Taxpayers and Protective League is formed.
1918: CMA has financial problems and asks Neptune to take over police, garbage and sanitation functions. Neptune refuses.
1920. The Lessee Board is dissolved, and the Civic Betterment League is formed. Its goal is the creation of an independent Ocean Grove Borough. The CMA supports the idea, and the NJ Legislature passes an Ocean Grove Borough bill which creates an incorporated borough, apart from Neptune. Governor Edwards signs it into law, a referendum in town receives wide support, and local elections are held.
The new Borough of Ocean Grove operates for one year, but they retain the CMA “blue laws”. Opponents in town want things the old way and they form the “Lessees Association” They sue in State Supreme Court.
1921: The NJ Court of Errors and Appeals finds the Borough bill to be unconstitutional, because the Borough has allowed religious ordinances to stand. The Borough bill might have been upheld if the “blue laws” were discarded, but the CMA and its supporters refuse. The Borough is dissolved, and governance goes back to Neptune and the CMA. This was not the first attempt to gain secular control of OG, but this one came the closest.
1923: A bill to make Ocean Grove a separate tax district with its own tax rates gets “lost in the legislature.”
1924: A big battle ensues as Neptune tries to substantially increase the CMA’s taxes, including high taxes on the beach, Auditorium, streets, sewers, etc. CMA wins in 1925 at the NJ Tax Board, and most of their holdings are not taxed.
1925-1960: The town is a popular summer resort and is known internationally. Huge crowds visit along with US Presidents and many celebrities. As for the ongoing arguments in Ocean Grove, the historian Gibbon says, in 1939, “Many times residents and land lessees of the town have voiced their objection to the local rules, to the tax situation or to the form of government, especially from 1900-1925, and there have been many court fights.”
For the most part, things stay the same.
1960-1980: Ocean Grove declines, along with much of the Jersey shore. (See below)
1975: A group of dedicated citizens led by Mr. Ted Bell and his colleagues obtain approval for OG’s designation as a State and National historic district. It is a complicated process. Formation of Board of Architectural Review (BAR) happens in 1984. (Later re-named the Historic Preservation Commission—HPC.)
1975: A newspaper service sues over Sunday’s gate closures, which had been permitted by town ordinance. The NJ Supreme Court strikes down the ordinance on grounds that it violates the first amendment to the Constitution (freedom of the press). The gates are opened for the news service only, but the CMA is allowed to continue its theocratic governance of Ocean Grove and the enforcement of other “blue laws”. Many people in Ocean Grove view the gates’ opening as an unhappy event.
1977: A lawsuit stemming from a drunk-driving conviction challenges the authority of Ocean Grove’s municipal court. The NJ Supreme Court widens the scope of the case and decides in June, 1979 that CMA governance in Ocean Grove is in violation of the Constitutional separation of church and state. Appeals are filed. This marks the beginning of the end for CMA governance in OG.
1980: The US Supreme Court would not hear the appeal, so governance of OG is transferred from the CMA to Neptune Township. Neptune eventually eliminates most of the blue laws. Only the Sunday morning beach closure and the ban on alcohol sales remain.
1980’s: By the 1980’s, the town is characterized by an overall “decrepitude,” including deterioration of buildings, declining tourism, crime, and a growing poor elderly population. (2) Deinstitutionalized mental patients are housed in empty old hotels and rooming houses in Ocean Grove. The town becomes a “psychiatric ghetto” (NY Times, October 1988), and, by the 1980’s, 10% of the town’s population are mental cases who are not receiving appropriate services and are sometimes abused by landlords. The prognosis for Ocean Grove is dire.
During this period, the Ocean Grove Homeowner’s Association (OGHOA) develops as a political and activist force that successfully begins the process of converting the town from decay to renaissance. (2f)
1990’s: OGHOA, led by Mr. Herb Herbst, Fran Paladino and others, fight for fair treatment in the allotment of the mentally ill around the state. The group’s political contacts and influence are considerable. The process is complex and difficult, but the numbers of “de-institutionalized” in OG drops considerably.
The group also saw to the closing of many substandard boarding and rooming houses. The HOA presents Neptune with a “master plan” to protect the historic nature of OG and to rezone for the promotion of single family houses. OGHOA promotes secular tourism while working with CMA to increase religious tourism. New people come into town to buy homes and invest in businesses.
1995:
The historic Neptune High School is saved from becoming low income housing by a group of Ocean Grove homeowners led by Mr. Herb Herbst and with the assistance of State Senator Joseph Palaia and others. (3, 4) The Jersey Shore Arts Center is owned and run today by a nonprofit tax exempt organization: The Ocean Grove Historic Preservation Society.
2000: Secular goals achieved as of 2000: increased property values, increased upgrading of houses, improved relations with Neptune, improved downtown with quaint shops, art galleries, cafes, etc., reduced crime, increased tourism, reduced de-institutionalized patients, demographic changes (increased gays, empty nesters, retirees, professionals, academics, young artists, and middle class families).
2005: House prices peak.
2007: New topics emerge: North End development, Ocean Pavilion dispute (gays vs. CMA), evolving demographics including more second home purchases, significant increases in property taxes, parking problems, Asbury Park development stalls, and home prices decline.
2009: Ocean Grove blog is founded (Blogfinger.net) by Paul Goldfinger, MD to help fill in the gap created when the OG newspaper closed. It offered a place to voice opinions about Ocean Grove’s many ongoing issues.
October 29, 2012. super-storm Sandy hits the Jersey Shore and destroys the Ocean Grove beachfront, part of the Great Auditorium roof, and floods the south side of town.
2009-2022:Blogfinger documents ongoing issues in town. Use the search engine on top right.
SAM AND DAVE:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
1. R. Gibbons, History of Ocean Grove: 1869-1939 (Ocean Grove Times, 1939)
2. K. Schmelzkopf, Landscape, ideology, and religion: a geography of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, Journal of Historical Geography, 28, 4 (2002) 589-608
3. Kevin Chambers, Herb Herbst, and Wayne T. Bell, personal communication,( 2008)
Here is a link to an excellent account of OG’s history by a Grover author, Perdita Buchan. If you read it, I guarantee that you will find out information about our town that you did not know.
What I like about this article is the accurate recognition that we are not only a religious community, something which we have been talking about on Blogfinger and which has been ignored by the travel media such as National Geographic.
Here is a sample paragraph from Perdita’s 2015 review, and below that is a link. The last sentence is most critical.
“Certainly one can’t regret the town’s revival, a vibrant return from its late twentieth century decline. And if the neo-Victorians often miss the mark, no one would want a high rise.
“Still, architectural change marks social change. Just as tents became cottages and cottages grew into houses, so the focus of the town shifted from rustic retreat to “The Queen Of Christian Resorts.” Initially, that change happened as part of the plan of the Camp Meeting’s leaders, so that a certain communal sensibility was maintained.
“There is much less now to link the town to its Methodist roots.”
The Arlington House Hotel in Ocean Grove, NJ. From the Woolman and Rose Atlas of the New Jersey Coast. 1878. Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
This hotel was formerly known as the Pitman House. It was the largest hotel in Ocean Grove as it sat on an entire block. The address is not given, but perhaps it is Pitman Avenue. It had an open view of the ocean and a beautiful park to the west.
This engraving depicts the hotel in 1877 after it had been enlarged due to increased demand. Gas and water had been introduced. The gardens in the neighborhood provided the house daily with fresh fruits and vegetables, and the farms excellent milk, chickens, fresh eggs and butter.
The proprietor, Mr. Charles E Howland, was determined to provide his guests with “a bounteous table of the best food, well cooked, and invitingly served.”
The write-up in the Atlas mentions the “bathing” in Ocean Grove as being “excellent due to the absence of undertow.” They also mention the absence of mosquitoes eliminating fear of malaria.
Nonstop trains to OG “run from New York and Philadelphia, and boats arrive by way of Sandy Hook. Tickets sold and baggage checked to all points from the office of the hotel.”
This scan was obtained from a hand-colored engraving from the Woolman and Rose Atlas of the New Jersey Coast dated 1878.
The news clip below from the 1910 Ocean Grove Times was sent by Grover Carol Livingstone. It gives the address for the Arlington as “Auditorium Square.” You can see the Arlington ad better if you click on the image below:
FROM PAL JOEY: Jerry Orbach. Score by Rodgers and Hart.
This page is from the F.W. Beers Monmouth County Atlas of 1873. It shows portions of Ocean and Shrewsbury Townships. Presented by Paul Goldfinger @Blogfinger. Click to study this map.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
When Ocean Grove was founded in 1869, there were very few towns nearby. Among the towns that did exist were Long Branch, Shrewsbury, and Farmingdale. In 1869, no one lived in what became Asbury Park. In 1871, Asbury Park was founded. Shrewsbury Township was subdivided into Ocean Township and Wall Township. Ocean Grove was initially part of Ocean Township. In 1879, Neptune was carved out of Ocean Twp. and was incorporated by the State of NJ; Ocean Grove was attached to Neptune.
Many places had different names then. For example Wesley Lake was Long Pond, while Fletcher Lake was Goose Pond. The road that we now call Route 71, ie Main Street, stretched from Long Branch to Squan (now Manasquan) and was called “The Turnpike.” Bradley Beach was called Ocean Pond, Avon-by-the-sea was still by the sea when it was called Key West, Belmar was Ocean Beach——but all those towns came after OG. Deal Lake was the Great Pond.
Ocean Grove consisted of dunes and trees extending from the Ocean to the Turnpike. The Camp Meeting Association team, led by Rev. Wm. Osborne, bought parcels of land from quite a few families, and it was a big job to stitch together and finance the purchase of OG since many land owners lived elsewhere, even in other states.
Look at the map to see a large dune, north to south, towards the southern part of town. Goose Pond (Fletcher Lake) was partly filled in to make room for more housing.
The first permanent cottage in OG was built in 1870, and by the time this map was made, there were many tents and cottages around town. *A large park-like area was called “Sea Drift Heights” and within it was “Gentlemen’s Walk.” It bordered Pilgrim Pathway and Main Avenue. It was near the Tenting Grounds and Church Square. Nearby was a “Ladies Walk.” Another large park was near Broadway and was called “Central Park.” Streets and houses ended at Delaware Avenue. West of there, near the Turnpike, was Evergreen Park which also bordered Wesley Lake. Stables provided parking outside the western gates. An ice house was also over there.
*The earliest map of Ocean Grove, from 1871, can be found in Ted Bells’ book Images of America–Ocean Grove. That map is titled Ocean Grove Camp Ground. Other old maps can be seen at the Historical Society of Ocean Grove on Pitman Avenue near Pilgrim Pathway.
HAVANA CARBO. OG isn’t exactly Paris, but you can substitute the names in your head. It’s a fine waltz.
The original Ocean Grove. No North End Hotel and no Skill-ball. c.1869
The Ross Bathing Houses, 1878. North End, Ocean Grove Beach. From the Atlas of the Jersey Coast. Previously posted on Blogfinger. Do you see any historic condominiums there?
This is not a comprehensive list. Most CMA religious events are not listed here. Consult the CMA web site for more information: www.oceangrove.org
July 4 Thursday: The New Jersey Wind Symphony. 7:30-8:30 AUD
July 5 Friday: Navy Band Pop Rock concert 7 pm AUD
July 6Saturday isCommunity Day
10:30 am – 12:30 pm: Independence Day Parade
1-5 pm: Town Celebration. Along Pilgrim Pathway and Auditorium Square Park.
9 pm Fireworks
July 7 Sunday: 3:30 to 4:30 The Quartet: “America Sings” TABERNACLE Don’t miss!
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
July 27Saturday is Victorian Day
10 am – 4 pm: Mrs. Joseph Thornley’s prayer tent in Founders Park
10 am – 3 pm: History of OG video shown continually in the Great Auditorium
11 am-11:30: Dedication of the Fountain (DO NOT MISS THIS) and Re-enactment of Bishop Fitzgerald by Rev. Dr. Tom Tewell. Founders Park
Note: from Cindy Bell: “the restored fountain is back in town, and Robinson Iron anticipates the final installation on Tuesday July 9th. Landscaping and final touches will be put in place the week of July 15th. Dedication ceremony: Saturday July 27th at 11:00 am. Community members are invited to stop by the park to watch the action.”
12-4 pm Horse and carriage tour
Afternoon tours of Great Auditorium, tours of Historical Society Museum,and walking tours of Ocean Grove
There will be more events on August 10 forOcean Grove Forever Day.
This post card of Ocean Grove shows some ladies out for a stroll on the plankboard in their Victorian garb accompanied by a gentleman in his finest walking apparel. A sailboat passes by off to the right of the photo with a beach that is not discernible.
Postmarked from 1905 , and a short message indicates that they were staying in that hotel with the X that was marked on the upper left hand of the card.
In that year, Teddy Roosevelt was in office, and the Wright Brothers were still trying to figure out how to keep their flying invention in the air for longer periods of time. Cabin attendants need not apply just yet.
Rich
Editor’s Note: Rich Amole, thanks. For perspective, in 1903, the women’s suffrage movement had a meeting in Ocean Grove, and that same week, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union also had a gathering in the Grove. Those two groups worked hand in hand. Women were very involved in temperance because alcohol was causing widespread damage to families.
Interestingly, if you watch the HBO mini-series called “Parade End,” set in England before and during WWI , you will meet some suffragettes who were fighting for the vote on that side of the pond. —-Paul
As noted in our recent posts, the Township Committee wants to pass an ordinance to make major changes in the HPC Guidelines. They placed the proposal on the December 12 agenda giving the HPC and others only a few days to consider the matter.
The document is long and detailed, and it was not marked in a way that would readily reveal the changes. At the meeting, the 1st reading was tabled to a later date to allow proper assessment of the document, but a few OG groups did get to review it, and their response was resoundingly negative, saying that the new guidelines would threaten historic preservation in the Grove.
During the public portion of the meeting, some individuals spoke for the allotted 5 minutes. The one voice that really needed to be heard was that of Deborah Osepchuk, the long-time Chairperson of the HPC. She read a prepared personal statement, but she was cut off when her 5 minutes were up.
We thank her for providing Blogfinger with her complete remarks. We cannot print the entire speech, as it is quite long for us, but we will quote most parts of it, skipping only some of the most technical details:
“In the spring of 2015, Randy Bishop announced at a Township Committee meeting that the HPC Guidelines were going to be revised and submitted to the Township Committee by Sept 1, 2015.
“A sub-committee within the HPC was formed, working through the summer and after review by the entire board, submitted our draft of the revised guidelines to the Township Clerk by Sept. 1, 2015.
“This was the last we heard of them. I sent emails, as did our attorney, asking for information and updates on the guidelines. We received no reply.
“Last Friday, Dec.9, 2016, at 3:35 pm, I received an email stating that the revised guidelines were not the guidelines we had submitted. I respectfully request that ‘prepared by the Historic Preservation Commission’ be removed from the cover page, and the names of those people responsible for this document be listed instead.
“There is much to be concerned about in this draft, but let me first focus on what I feel is the most damaging to the historic district.
The applicability of said design guidelines shall only be applicable to any portion of the structure that fronts on the street. Side and rear facades that do not front on the street shall not be subject to the guidelines.
The Commissioner described one change where “the word ‘avoid’ used in the original draft in regards to inappropriate architectural elements has been replaced with the word ‘discouraged’ a total of 37 times.
Also the words “historically inappropriate” have been eliminated. The term “where practicable” has taken its place.
She says, “All of this translates into guidelines that regulate and protect nothing.”
In addition Commissioner Osepchuk notes that a number of provisions in the original have been eliminated including the section on “Historic Flare, a unique and rare example of urban planning—- the key reason for our historic designation.”
(Editor’s note: This is where Ms. Osepchuk had to stop speaking at the meeting, but we continue below:)
“Hot tubs, solar panels, satellite dishes, retaining walls, sheds, roof top construction, chain link fencing, auxiliary structures, etc., are no longer restricted unless they are on the ‘regulated frontage’ of the structure. Then they are merely ‘discouraged.’
“Add to all this, the fact that now homeowners will need to have signed and sealed architectural plans in order to make an application. The HPC has never required this of homeowners.
“Why the sweeping changes? What will they accomplish? Who is responsible or them?
‘The objectives of Ocean Grove District Architectural Guidelines are to preserve the historic architectural integrity, craftsmanship, and heritage of the nationally Designated Historic District and encourage architectural solutions which will “Recapture the Spirit of Ocean Grove.’
“The document dated Oct. 2016 does not accomplish this, its stated purpose. Instead it works at destroying the historic district.
“Property values in Ocean Grove continue to rise. People are renovating, building new and making improvements to their homes in increasing numbers. As of today the HPC has reviewed and approved 249 applications.
“What is the attraction of Ocean Grove? It’s certainly not the parking or the fact that we pay high taxes on land that we don’t even own or that we live on lots that in any other part of Neptune would be considered undersized. Our homes need constant maintenance, since most of them are over 100 years old and we live with the constant threat of fire fueled by the town’s density.
“It is because Ocean Grove looks and feels like no place else…for now.”
Also, this matter is on the agenda for the Dec. 14 Planning Board meeting which Blogfinger will attend.
And, On December 13, 2016, the HPC voted to draft a statement speaking out against the guidelines. Stay tuned.
