ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – After 27 hours of testimony and more than 10 months of public hearings, the borough planning board voted 6-2 to approve an application to transform one of the last significant pieces of undeveloped Bayshore property into a cluster of luxury townhomes.
About 100 people attended the meeting concerning the Denholtz Custom Homes application calling for the construction of 16 luxury townhouses on 7 acres of land overlooking the Sandy Hook Bay. It was held at the Atlantic Highlands Elementary School.
The property in question, better known as the McConnell Tract, is an elevated piece of land that backs up to Center Avenue and extends forward to the bay, pressing up against a narrow stretch of beachfront and a bulkhead that has taken a beating in recent years from historic weather events like Super Storm Sandy and Hurricane Irene.
Benson Chiles, leader of the resident opposition group Neighbors for Water- front Preservation, noted that the proposed development’s current alignment would result in three homes, as well as portions of seven of the planned lots, constructed in the AE flood zone.
Borough resident Brent Sonnek-Schmelz stressed the dangers of developing homes so close to the waterfront and on a piece of land that has never previously held residential properties.
“We have an opportunity right now to actually protect our town, protect the land, protect the people,” Sonnek-Schmelz said. “We do not want to put homes where they are at risk in a storm surge situation like Sandy. And we’re not just talking about the residents who would live there. We’re also talking about our first responders who would report to rescue those who don’t evacuate when they’re directed to. These are potentially life-threatening situations and situations that we want to avoid.”
In his post-hearing public comments, board member Ed Cetron, who is a member of the Atlantic Highlands Fire Department and joined the borough’s first aid and safety squad in January, addressed the emergency response concerns.
“As a first responder who lived through Sandy and did a lot of work during and after Sandy, I know what the building standards are now. I’ve seen what the building codes are. And I have no intention of risking my life, ever. However, I do not see any opportunity here where I would be at risk of doing that, if these buildings are built to standards. And they will be. There will be no problem. It’s a lot more risky going into homes on the steep slopes we have than down there,” Cetron said.
Cetron also did not agree with residents who cited borough code 150-84, which addresses general site design standards for subdivision site plans. The code lists several areas that should be preserved as undeveloped open space, including “lands in the flood way,” a provision added to the code April 24, 2013 in response to Super Storm Sandy.
Though the case was made the tract had never been developed for residen- tial purposes and should be recognized as an undeveloped space in a flood zone, Cetron, who helped craft the addition six years ago, disagreed.
“Regardless of the intent (of the code), we are legally bound by the wordage. And I think it’s absolutely clear that it only applies to undeveloped open space. This is clearly a developed space,” Cetron said.
The McConnell Tract is currently occupied by Blackfoot Mobile Marine Services, a boat storage facility. The site has been zoned residential but used commercially since 1923. In 1929 the parcel was developed by Standard Oil and was later owned by Exxon for industrial operations.
When the application was first submitted to the planning board, Denholtz initially proposed 21 homes, but scaled back the plan to accommodate requests for a public board- walk and open green space overlooking the bay.
In an interview with The Two River Times earlier this month, Denholtz CEO Steven Denholtz said the public portion of the project was cut after discussions about public funding options to maintain those amenities broke down.
Chiles said the first meeting with Denholtz concerning funding took place in December 2018, where resources like the borough’s open space acquisition fund, county open space grants and green acres funding from the state were suggested.
Neither Chiles nor Denholtz said they pursued any of the sources and the public facilities have since been removed from the plan.
But according to Denholtz, who spoke to The Two River Times following the planning board’s decision, there is still time to hear suggestions from the public.
“We love the application and we think it’s going to be great for the town,” Denholtz said. “We have tried to do what they (the board and residents) have asked. It’s never fun to be in an environment where you have some vocal people, but I understand their feelings, and if they have ideas, we’ll be here to talk.”
This article was first published in the May 2-8, 2019 print edition of The Two River Times.
