____________________________________ From: Asburysteve To: Asburysteve Sent: 9/25/2008 5:05:33 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time Subj: article in The Coaster: north end development
Asbury Park OKs Plans For North End Development By TOM SHORTELL Asbury Park’s City Council narrowly approved Asbury Partner’s plans for 15 beachfront townhouses approximately 60 feet east of Asbury Towers on the north end of the beachfront. The townhouses, called Bradley Cove, are planned for a .6-acre lot on the 1700 block of Ocean Avenue, across the street from Asbury Towers. Architectural drawings show the residences would stretch from the corner of Ocean Avenue and Deal Lake Drive to about 40 feet north of the sewage treatment plant’s gate. Asbury Partners did not release any prices for the townhouses, but Alfred Faiella, Asbury Partners’ representative, said they would be “extremely expensive.” The property would be the most expensive per square foot in Asbury Park, he said. (http://thecoaster.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bradleycove.jpg) This is a rendering of the proposed Bradley Cove development on the Asbury Park oceanfront. A proposed road called Asbury Terrace would be built on the north side of Asbury Towers, a retirement home, and run between Ocean and Kingsley avenues. The 1700 block of Ocean Avenue would be renamed North Ocean Avenue. The plans still need to go before the Planning Board for final approval. The townhouses’ current plans depict decks supported by columns that would be on city property. Should they pass through the Planning Board unchanged, the council would need to grant permission for those plans to go forward. The council voted 3-2 that the plans were consistent with the city’s redevelopment plan. “We made an agreement,” said Deputy Mayor Jimmy Bruno. “It’s in the plan, and we’re not going to violate it.” Bruno said when built, the townhouses would bring in an additional $300,000 in taxes. Mayor Kevin Sanders agreed. “The thing that has been keeping Asbury Park held back for 40 years was going back on its word,” he said. “We’re an honest council.” Sanders, Bruno and Councilman John Lofreddo voted in favor of the plan. Councilmen Ed Johnson and Jim Keady voted against it. Johnson said he was concerned the plan, which was made in 2001, didn’t fit Asbury Park in 2008. “The question I asked myself was, ‘Does it meet the plan as I see it?’ I don ’t believe it does,” he said. He and Keady both voiced concerns about the insurance rates the townhouses would demand, the environmental impact of building so close to the beach and going forward on the project while the financial market is in upheaval. Johnson repeatedly mentioned the flooding that occurred in Deal Lake Drive area two years ago and warned about the dangers a major storm would present. “It’s not an if, it’s a when the 100-year storm comes around,” he said. Keady acknowledged that had the council voted against the plan, which the city’s advisors said was consistent with the redevelopment plan, Asbury Park might have faced a lawsuit from Asbury Partners. “That’s a battle I would be willing to fight,” he said. Many of the people attending the meeting voiced disgust with the plan. Joyce Grant, a resident of Asbury Tower, said the plan ignored the desires of the community. “To move forward on the Bradley Cove townhouse development oceanfront project is against the community will, and not just the community will of Asbury Tower, who will be negatively impacted by it, but by the will of the greater Asbury Park community,” she said. Grant, chairwoman of Citizens for Oceanfront Preservation, said her group has gathered over 600 signatures of Asbury Park residents opposed to the project. Not all members of the public were against it. Pat Fasano, a real estate developer, said if the council did not act now, it would eventually become condominiums when the market turns around in a few years. He said a smaller amount of townhouses would be workable.“You can’t find 250 millionaires, but you can find 15,” Fasano said. Read more about your town by picking up The Coaster at your local newsstand or _subscribe today_ (http://thecoaster.net/wordpress/subscribe-to-the-coaster/) . Published every Thursday. This entry was posted on Thursday, September 25th, 2008 at 12:11 pm and is filed under _Asbury Park_ (http://thecoaster.net/wordpress/category/municipal/asbury-park/) . You can follow any responses to this entry through the _RSS 2.0_ (http://thecoaster.net/wordpress/2008/09/25/asbury-park-oks-plans-for-north-end-development/feed/) feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. 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