Eastport Application will continue at next Planning Board meeting
6th Ave View
Belmar Planning Board – April 15, 2024
6th Ave View
6th Ave View
6th Ave View
6th Ave View
Welcome to The Belmar Blog
6th Ave View
Welcome to The Belmar Blog
Eastport Application will continue at next Planning Board meeting
OMG. Our town is ruined.
Town is ruined? Really? How so? The time to complain was when Sea Port redevelopment plan was approved X+ number of years ago. It seems as though it is only starting to get traction now but was the vision multiple administrations ago? I am sure you will correct me if i am wrong….
If a builder wants to invest in our town then they should invest in the longevity of our infrastructure. How about smart negotiations? Instead of bigger, how about better (roads, parking, water, sewage) and what about a fund for our raggedy senior building? The citizens of Belmar deserve better!
That is all true. What gets lost in the political discussions surrounding development is the lack of serious negotiations. Former mayor, and part time political caricature, Matt Doherty, started this whole mess. Designating big swaths of land as areas in need of redevelopment. This opened the flood gates to developers taking advantage of PILOT programs. A political stunt that gave cover to his campaign over municipal taxes. The last admin didn’t help with their changing the height restrictions for the Mediterranean project. When confronted, they had no logical explanation as to why they would acquiesce to the developers BEFORE they submitted plans. With one representative saying, “you’ll barely notice”. Additionally, the condition of the structure that is being replaced is irrelevant. That was a strategy successfully employed by the 12th Ave project developers in order to contravene dozens of building codes.
This current admin is hamstrung by deals made prior to taking office but they are not off the hook. The town leaders need to demand conditions from the developers. Development is a good thing but it needs to meet with the overall needs of the community.
Where this project is it isn’t zoned for single family housing it’s zoned for commercial on bottom and living space above. It’s in the seaport development zone. A zone where the town/town planner want redeveloped.
All I know is Jerry, Mark and Maria ran on NO big development. Even flew a banner plane over Belmar the Saturday before election. They convinced the town that they would put a stop to it.
Now they find that reality is much messier and conflicting and harder than political propaganda messaging.
All of these were already in motion.
I don’t get why that’s so hard to understand. These particular horses already left the stable.
Already in motion…I’m glad you admit to such but, they still ran on the premise they will stop over building. Now this administration will have the largest, tallest and widest building growth than any administration in our time.
I searched my comment and can’t find the words ‘live with it’. Maybe it’s the subtext?
It doesn’t matter that these building will be built during this administration. These were all approved and put forth during the previous administration. Why is that so hard to comprehend. This administration is not perfect by any stretch, but their hands are tied when it comes to this project or 12th Ave project or White House project. They were all signed and sealed during previous admin. Some were in the works during the admin for before that!
There is still a current council member that was on the council during the Walsifer admin.
EVERYONE has an agenda. Politicians.
We can’t let them ruin our town. They will be gone like the others, and we as citizens of Belmar will be stuck with their mess.
If this administration is worth their salt then they should negotiate with these builders to do the right thing for Belmar including correcting our decomposing infrastructure.
Common sense: you can’t build on sand, you have to build on a sturdy foundation otherwise it will wash away with the storm.
A) it’s hard to negotiate after something has been approved. It’d be like buying a house and asking for a lower price after the closing.
B) can’t build on sand? Half the houses in this town are built on sand. Have you ever been to the outer banks? Florida? Rhode Island? Long Island? Anywhere along the Gulf Coast? Or just about anywhere on planet earth where the land meets the sea, or a lake, or a river?
C) while the amount of large condo projects is concerning, Belmar is better now than it was 20-30 years ago. I know all the nostalgic folks will start screaming (yes we all miss Schatzow’s, and Zelbe’s, and Freedman’s), but I am speaking only in terms of measurable indexes- property value and quality of life. So I don’t know if I’d say the town is ‘ruined’.
If it was so “done” then why are we all talking about it now?
Why did the mayor hire a mediator?
Where there is life, there is hope.
You think he is going to negotiate with developers successfully, (Deleted by Editor.)
I wonder if negotiations will be limited to 5 minute rule.
It’s not hard to understand. All were in motion. Correct. Goes back to Pringle creating redevelopment zone and Matt expanding it.
And the reality is that they have to deal just as the former administration did.
That’s the point. Saying you’re going to do something while campaigning changes dramatically upon taking office.
The sad part is all the haters of the former administration wanted to believe they were terrible people who wanted to destroy Belmar.
Jerry, Maria and Mark fed that narrative. They are now reaping what they sowed.
So much hate for the previous administration… I would take them back in a second. At least the previous administration knew how to deal with people and were working with developers to buy into our infrastructure. All the promises of this Mayor’s campaign were based on anger and not reality.
(Deleted by Editor.)
Stop looking backwards; We’re not going in that direction for good reason.
The former admin bent over backwards for developers. What on earth are you talking about? They literally changed the rule on height restrictions for the Mediterranean project. BEFORE it was even asked for.! The revisionist history is astounding.
All the affordable housing should go for the senior citizens. Build them a gorgeous new building out of respect and you will fulfill the quota needed.
Hard to go forward when the whole country is going backward…maybe for good reason.
Let’s learn from the past so we don’t make the same mistakes.
If the citizens of Belmar are telling you what they want in 5 minutes or less how about listening?
I think the outcome would be positive.