Historic Neptune home demolished to make way for car wash
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 10/2/07
NEPTUNE A backhoe hacked into a 19th-century home on Old Corlies Avenue this
morning, after a Superior Court judge refused to issue an injunction to block
the
demolition, allowing plans for a car wash and lube facility on the property to
move head.
The demolition of the white farmhouse at 1019 Old Corlies Ave., which dates
back to
1846, started at about 10 a.m., neighbors said, and within an half-hour, the
backhoe had
torn into three-quarters of the home, spewing glass, wood and dust across the
lawn.
Several residents who had fought plans for the car wash stood next door and
watched,
arms folded, as the home continued to crumble. Plywood signs lying along the
driveway
were spraypainted "No demo permit'' and "Save this home.''
"He (developer Felix Bruselovsky) said he was a man of his word and said he
wouldn't do
anything until it played out in court,'' said neighbor Melody Watson, of Willow
Drive.
"He (the developer) reneged on his word,'' said Bruce Pyle, of Wall, who grew
up in the
house.
The township and the developer, who operates under 1019 Old Corlies Avenue LLC,
had
been in court last week after the township sought a temporary restraining order.
The request for the restraining order was part of a larger suit the township
has brought
against the zoning board, charging that the board usurped the Township
Committee's
zoning powers when it approved variances that allowed the car wash and lube
business.
The tract which contains the house is zoned commercial, but is surrounded by a
residential neighborhood.
State Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson, sitting in Freehold, denied the
request noting that the order for the demolition was separate from the zoning
board
decision.
Township Attorney Gene Anthony had said the township saw a need to declare the
Old
Corlies Avenue neighborhood a historic zone.
But Lawson, during last week's hearing, did not seem to buy Anthony's
arguments, noting
the application had been before the zoning board since March, but the Township
Committee only passed a resolution supporting the designation about two weeks
ago.
"The township slept while this was going on,'' Lawson had said, referring to
the
application. "This was going on for months, and the township did nothing to
stop it.''
Police said the contractor had a demolition permit.
"The worst thing is the legacy we're leaving our children - money talks and the
little person doesn't count,'' said Muriel Ludwigsen, who lives across the
street from
the old farmhouse and whose lawn has served as command central with a table
holding
petitions for people against the development to sign.
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