State money could save club
Assemblyman Kean hopes to keep Takanassee tract from development
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/23/07
BY CAROL GORGA WILLIAMS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
LONG BRANCH Assemblyman Sean T. Kean, R-Monmouth, said he will
introduce legislation to provide seed money to purchase and preserve
the Takanassee Beach Club, which is the site of a development
application.
The club, on Ocean Avenue, has for years been an access point for
beachgoers, although its current owners recently reminded people
that it always has been a private club.
Opponents of the development plan by the Peters family and
Takanassee Developers LLC, whose managing partner has been
identified as Isaac Chera of Crown Acquisitions in New York City,
turned out in force recently for a state Coastal Area Facility
Review Act permit public hearing.
They said the property is historically significant because it is the
site of three buildings associated with the U.S. Life-Saving
Association, a precursor to the modern Coast Guard.
They also said it was environmentally significant and important from
a maritime perspective because those lifesaving stations are an
important landmark for boaters.
Chera wants to construct 21 homes on the property, some as close as
35 feet from the ocean, opponents said. The development would be
broken up into seven single-family homes, seven town homes and seven
condominiums.
At the CAFRA permit public hearing, City Councilman Michael
DeStefano asked the state for time to allow the city to pursue
options for the 4.9-acre site, which includes a working private
beach club, three in-ground swimming pools, a gravel parking lot,
Takanassee Lake and eight buildings, including the three historic
structures, which do not have any historic-preservation status.
Kean said his bill, which could be introduced in about a week, would
ask the state to provide a significant amount of the $14 million
needed to acquire the site, but also would require Monmouth County
and the city to provide some funds as well.
Mayor Adam Schneider already has said the city does not have the
money, although he is in favor of Kean's plan if the money comes
from another source.
"It would make an awful lot of people happy," Schneider said. "It
would raise other issues, but we'll deal with those if and when it
happens. . . . If someone wants to give us the money, I'm more than
happy to take it. Who is going to own it, who is going to run it
I'll worry about that later."
Councilman Brian A. Unger said Kean's proposed bill was "fabulous
news."
"I think it is really important the city work with the state and
other groups to acquire this site," Unger said.
He said city officials realize it might involve an investment in
infrastructure and other costs, but "I've spoken with the mayor and
several members of the City Council, and there was near unanimity
that it is something we've got to do."
Kean said the time is right to make the pitch to the state, and he
is seeking a meeting with Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the state
Department of Environmental Protection.
"I think it is realistic because of the importance of this site,"
Kean said of his proposed bill's passage. "The DEP and the
Governor's Office have recently, in the last year, shown an interest
in some of these beach issues, such as beach access and the public-
trust doctrine. This really merges right into those issues."
Preserving the site would have wider benefits than just for city
residents, Kean said.
"It would be a shame for that site to turn into condominiums or some
lesser use," he said.
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
