Future of Takanassee buildings uncertain

Future of Takanassee buildings uncertain
County: Agreement with developer is stalled
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

The future of two of the Takanassee buildings remains unsecured as the developer of the beach club site explores the possibility of relocating both buildings to the Church of the Presidents on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch.

A fire Sept. 25 damaged the tower of the Boathouse building, one of three structures on the Takanassee property. CHRIS KELLY staff A fire Sept. 25 damaged the tower of the Boathouse building, one of three structures on the Takanassee property. CHRIS KELLY staff Lawrence Jacobs, attorney for Takanassee Developers, said last week the developer is searching for avenues that will keep the circa-1900 Port Huron building and the 1877 Captain's House together for the foreseeable future.

Plans call for one of the three Takanassee structures, the Boathouse, to be preserved on site and become part of the new development and for the two others to be relocated and restored off site. The Captain's House was supposed to go to Monmouth County's Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park, and talks have been ongoing about moving the Port Huron house to the Church of the Presidents site on Ocean Avenue.

Jacobs said Church of the Presidents is currently an option being considered for both structures.

"Discussions continue with the representatives," Jacobs said. "If they can't accommodate both, then the county and Seven Presidents Park may represent the best opportunity for the [Captain's House] building."

The county has committed to taking the Captain's House and relocating it to Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park.

Jacobs said that is still an option if a way to keep the houses together can't be found.

"We are still very interested in working with the county," Jacobs said. "We are still interested in other locations that might work for both buildings, if that can be achieved.

"We worked with the county and set the plan where the county would incorporate the building into Seven Presidents Park and open it up and make it available for recreational use, along with some historical context," he said. "The county does not have a use for the Port Huron building.

"I think it would be great if both buildings could be retained together, but if that's not an option, then we will certainly pursue Seven Presidents," Jacobs added.

While the developer is looking at different options for the buildings, if those don't work out, the agreement with the county still stands, Jacobs said.

"We have the basics of the agreement with the county," he said. "Most of the terms have already been negotiated."

However, a county official said last week that she is concerned that an agreement has not been formalized.

"We don't actually have an agreement with the developer in place," Gail Hunton, Monmouth County Park System supervising historical preservation specialist, said. "The project can't move forward until there is an agreement."

Hunton said previously there was reason to be optimistic that an agreement between the county and the developer would be finalized, but talks had slowed to a halt.

"We got so far in the negotiations, then there has been no movement on the developer's side finalizing the agreement," she said.

According to Hunton, the county's offer is still in place.

"Our offer is still on the table," she said. "We really made good progress with an agreement. We need an agreement that we can bring to our board; it's just not finalized yet," she said.

The site of the Takanassee Beach Club on Ocean Avenue was originally U.S. Lifesaving Station No. 5.

Developer Isaac Chera, principal of Takanassee Developers, purchased the property for just under $18 million and was issued a Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) permit by the state Department of Environmental Protection to permit construction of a luxury condominium project on the oceanfront site.

Chera cannot proceed with the project until he complies with the conditions listed in the CAFRA permit, which include preserving the three historic buildings that are on the site.

Hunton said that once an agreement is reached between the county and the developer, more needs to happen for the building to be moved.

"Our board has to approve and the freeholders have to approve the agreement and the acceptance of the building," she said. "There is a whole chain of things that have to happen before we can actually take it."

Hunton said that if an agreement is not reached, the developer must go a different route in moving the building.

"It is the developer's responsibility to find a home for those two lifesaving stations," she said. "If they do not wish to enter an agreement with the county, then they have to find an alternate site."

Hunton said that the county is holding the site for the building, so that will not be a problem.

"We are holding the site open for the possibility," she said, adding, "There is no current activity, unfortunately."

While talks on moving the Captain's House have stalled, a city official said last week talks between the developer and the Church of the President are progressing.

"I'm reasonably optimistic that we will be able to work something out, but until it's done, it's not done," Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider said. "We are reasonably optimistic something good is going to come from it."

A member of the Long Branch Historical Museum Association, which is housed at the Church of the Presidents, said that talks are ongoing, but nothing is finalized.

"Right now there is no update," Jim Foley said. "I know we are still in the negotiating stage."

Schneider has said that the developer's plans call for the boathouse to be preserved on site and to be converted into a community center. Housing units and condominiums are scheduled to be constructed on the remainder of the property.

However, the developer cannot proceed until sites are secured for the two other buildings.

"The developer can't do anything until the issue of the buildings is resolved," he said. "He's got to move them."

Schneider pointed out that he hopes the buildings are preserved, but there is a chance they may not have to be.

"What happens then [if the talks break down]?" he said. "I don't have the answer to that. They are not on the register [of historic places]. They are not protected by state statute.

"I don't have the answer," he continued. "I'd hate to see it come to that, so we'll see."

While Schneider is optimistic about the Port Huron house, he said he has not been particularly involved with the talks with the county.

"I've sat in on meetings but it's probably been 10 months," he said. "We will see what happens."

Schneider said there is a chance that both buildings could be moved to the Church of the Presidents, which may save on relocation costs.

Some of the proposals put forth in recent months, particularly by Long Branch Councilman Brian Unger, have called for turning one of the buildings into a maritime museum.

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com. CHRIS KELLY staff