The remains of the Warrington Hotel. APP photograph. ©
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor and Jack Bredin, reporter/researcher @Blogfinger.net
If you have been following the Warrington Hotel story, you know that the owner of that Lake Avenue derelict structure wanted to turn the old building into a boutique hotel, and he did receive approvals from Neptune Township. But the fire in March, 2017 totally destroyed the property, leaving just a charred brick foundation. As a result, the prior approvals were null and void, so the owner would now be required to put up single family houses instead.
The back story on this is that the Warrington already was a flawed property, having been built on a lot that is not facing a street and without a documented easement to get access to Seaview Avenue. Before the fire there were two cottages that separated the Warrington from a Seaview Avenue frontage. The back of the property faces the Lake, but Lake Avenue is not a street.
In addition, the Federal ATF investigation of the fire is evidently still ongoing; at least we have heard no conclusions from that.
The owner of the hotel then brought a suit in Monmouth Superior Court against the Township last November, trying to get the pre-fire approvals for a hotel reinstated. But the Township insisted on following its Zoning Ordinances which forces such properties to be zoned single family, as occurred with the Manchester Inn on Ocean Pathway.
At last night’s Committee meeting, where the Warrington was not on the agenda, an inconvenient truth was revealed. It turns out that the Warrington suit had been dismissed two months ago. We say “inconvenient” because, like so many facts buried under a translucent shroud at the Mother Ship, this fact was not mentioned publicly since it occurred 2 months ago. A review of the APP archives shows no awareness of the dismissal.
And since more than 45 days have elapsed, it seems that the owner has not filed an appeal at the Appellate Division. In fact, given the need to enforce the landlock rules, RSIS parking laws, and the current zoning for single family, this property may now be good for nothing–ie a dead duck; not fit for any life on the shore of the Wesley Detention/Retention Basin.
The public learned about the dismissal last night from the Township Attorney when pressed by Blogfinger‘s reporter, Jack Bredin during the public session. The Township Clerk said that the law suit paperwork was available in his Neptune office.
The owner may have to take his plans, present and future, and follow Little Richard who says “ball it up” or “rip it up.” Maybe the site would make a lovely waterfront park or playground.
And the Township may be able to take some bows for doing the right thing for the Grove in this case.
LITTLE RICHARD:
