Developer unveils plans for Beachfront No. II

Developer unveils plans for Beachfront No. II
Single-family, town homes to be constructed
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer
The developer of Beachfront North Phase II in Long Branch unveiled plans last week for development of the MTOTSA neighborhood that call for single-family homes and townhomes to be interspersed among the existing homes residents fought so hard to hold onto.

After years of hard-won battles over the city’s attempt to use eminent domain to level the Marine Terrace, Ocean Terrace and Seaview Avenue beachfront neighborhood in favor of luxury condos, the development plan looks much like the infill the city originally touted.

David Fisher, vice president of Matzel & Mumford, a K. Hovnanian company, told the City Council the plan is to develop 17 single-family homes that will market for up to $1 million, and three townhouses on vacant parcels in Beachfront North Phase II, which includes MTOTSA.

“They are all single-family except that we are building three townhouses along Ocean Boulevard,” he said. “We are hoping the [Planning] board will review and approve that subdivision at the next meeting.”

Made public just five months after the MTOTSA Alliance reached an agreement with the city to preserve their homes, the plans were presented at the Feb. 9 City Council workshop meeting, where City Attorney James Aaron explained why the developers were appearing in front of the council.

“We’ve been told that MM-Beachfront II will be proceeding to the Planning Board for the first of its applications for its development,” Aaron said. “It has been historically [the council’s] policy that the developer would come to you to let you understand what is being proposed to the Planning Board.

“Then you would give conceptual approval, although no resolution is necessary,” he added. “You would know what is going to the Planning Board meets the design guidelines and the stipulations of the settlement.”

Fisher said the plans conform to the negotiated settlement. Part of the agreement was that the developer would demolish the vacant properties that had been acquired in the neighborhood, and Fisher said there were very few problems encountered in doing so.

“Once the consent order was signed, we agreed to demolish the structures that we owned in a fairly compact time frame, and that work has been completed,” he said. “We did it ahead of schedule and we didn’t find too many complications with respect to the structures that were out there.

“Some were very [close] to the [remaining] buildings, so we had to do some actual handwork to demolition them,” Fisher said. “Those lots have been stabilized for the winter and are ready for preparation for construction.”

To accommodate the development, the city had to split up a vacated right of way, and once that was completed, the developer was able to conceptualize a plan and move forward. The next step is to apply to the

Fisher said most of the construction will not need further approval, but a few parcels do.

“Many of these lots don’t require Planning Board approval, meaning they are single lots and we would propose to simply build a new home on the existing property,” he said. “That is the case with about nine or 10 of the homes.

“In two instances we have a double lot to be consolidated into one,” he added. “That can be done simply by a deed that gets recorded. In two other instances we need to apply to the board for a minor subdivision.”

Fisher was asked how construction would proceed.

“We will probably build them on spec, but my guess is that we may advance one or two of the foundations and move forward,” he said. “We have some tight constraints in terms of zoning, so it’s not like we can customize these.”

He said pricing and how to market the properties are questions still being decided.

“It is pretty preliminary at this point, but I would guess that the smaller homes would start somewhere in the $600,000s and the bigger homes would get well over $1 million.”

Fisher is expecting to be at the Feb. 16 Planning Board meeting for approval of one subdivision and expects to have to wait until April for a final approval to begin construction.

“The other approval we will need is a minor subdivision and site plan for the two townhouse units, and we expect it will not be until the April meeting,” he said. “With those two Planning Board approvals, the balance will be submissions to the city and their building department at which time there will be a zoning and engineering review on a lotby lot basis.

“Initially we will probably build three homes,” he added. “We could be starting that first model around May.”

After the meeting Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider gave an overview on the process.

“[The demolition] went ahead of schedule,” he said. “We had genuine concerns about that, as did the residents, and that was one of the huge sticking points, and there were all sorts of things that both sides were anticipating could go wrong because demolition is not necessarily easy.

“With a few exceptions it went smoothly. The next step was … they told us what they are going to build, and let’s see how quickly that proceeds.

“I have a feeling it will [go] quickly to a point and then will be market-driven,” Schneider said.

“The drawings we saw look very attractive,” he said. “I’d like to see them get built in a timely fashion. I don’t think there is anything they are doing that wouldn’t be virtually automatic approval.”

The settlement between the city and the MTOTSA Alliance was formalized in court Sept. 15. Signed by all but six property owners in MTOTSA, the agreement required the property owners to waive their right to sue the city for compensatory damages. In return, the city agreed not to use its power of eminent domain to take properties in MTOTSA.

As part of the 14-point settlement with the MTOTSA property owners, the city also agreed to pay $435,000 in legal fees the alliance accrued and to have the developer demolish several vacant, boarded-up houses in the neighborhood. In addition, the city agreed to pave the roads and fix lighting conditions in the area within two years, and the property owners are eligible for five-year tax abatements if they improve their properties.

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.


Click here to enlarge



No Flash Detected
Please download the latest version by clicking below:

Get

Advertisement for Brock Farms