The Coaster

By DON STINE
A face-off over state-imposed parking requirements is taking place among some Ocean Grove residents with one resident saying it’s time to stop overbuilding the historic district and creating more serious parking problems.

Mayor Randy Bishop, who owns a bed and breakfast in the historic district, and Ocean Grove resident Joseph Krimko last week attended a meeting of the New Jersey Site Improvement Advisory Board to seek relief from parking requirements imposed by the Residential Site Improvement Standards (RSIS). The parking regulations affect Ocean Grove.

The RSIA standards were imposed in 1997.

Long-time Ocean Grove resident Kevin Chambers, who also attended the meeting, is opposing the request for relief from parking standards arguing it is detrimental to the future of the community. But township officials believe the waiver is necessary so additional parking problems are not created.

“The RSIS standards are basically what tell you how many parking spaces you need in an area determined on existing housing and its size. This is based on any new construction or extensive renovations,” Bishop said.

He said because of the unique nature of Ocean Grove, which is mostly 30-foot by 60-foot lots, the township is applying for a waiver from meeting the state-imposed standards of 1.5 parking spaces for each new residential unit and allowing curb-cuts for new driveways.

Bishop said that several years ago the Township Committee adopted an ordinance that prevented the issuing of new curb cuts for driveways in Ocean Grove because they reduced the amount of available parking.

“A curb-cut is usually 15 feet but, since most lots are 30-feet wide and a regular parking space is 23 feet, you actually lose parking in front of every lot by allowing the curb-cut,” he said. Bishop said most of the lots are too narrow to allow for off-street parking and that is why most of the parking in Ocean Grove is on the street. Bishop said rebuilding vacant parcels at the North End in Ocean Grove is not subject to the RSIS standards and is treated differently because it is a designated redevelopment zone and off-street parking is a requirement. The township is also forming a special parking committee to take a closer look at Ocean Grove’s parking problems. Bishop said the effort to seek relief from the RSIS requirements has been ongoing for a number of years and that the advisory board first heard the application last February. He said the township’s planning firm, T&M Associates based in Middletown, subsequently did a comprehensive parking study as requested by the advisory board and this was presented in Trenton last week. “The board is taking the study under advisement since there has been a lawsuit filed that they feel could impact the waiver,” he said. Chambers, who filed the lawsuit, said he believes there are “very serious legal problems” with the township seeking relief from the RSIS requirements. “A proper parking study would show that, yes, there is a parking problem and further show that these small lots are not suitable for anything other than single-family residential development,” he said. Chambers argues that over the years the township has granted exemptions from many zoning requirements; thus allowing multi-family uses, condominiums, and hotels with restaurants or shops to be built or remodeled on the very small lots. “I believe they have been illegally issuing these types of variances and illegally rezoning them from single-family uses to these other types of uses. It is disturbingly clear that the township has been using illegal spot zoning for years and, instead of correcting the problem, they have been increasing density and exasperating the parking situation,” he said. “Zoning is supposed to improve conditions, lessen congestion, and make the community better but that’s not case here,” he said. Chambers suggests a complete re-examination of the township’s Master Plan, especially as to how it affects Ocean Grove. “They have been granting improper use variances and then trying to clean up the problems afterward. We have a serious problem here,” he said. Chambers said on one hand the township says they don’t have to provide any parking but on the other hand is rezoning properties to uses that create greater parking problems. “If they stuck by the zoning then it would be only about one car per house but they keep changing properties to more intense uses. That’s my argument,” he said. He said that any parking study presented to the state advisory board needs more fact-finding, needs to be presented to the public for input, and then approved by the governing body. “This was never done,” he said “Everything they’ve done is putting the carpet before the horse.” Chambers said he believes this has been going on because of the tax benefits the township can reap by increasing the value of the properties by allowing higher density. “Ocean Grove is the goose with the golden egg in this regard,” he said. Krimko said the state advisory board has scheduled another meeting on the matter for next month when he hopes they will make a decision. “Ocean Grove existed long before these state standards were set and they create standards that really can’t be applied here. The fact is we don’t have these sized lots to meet those standards,” he said. Krimko, who is also a former Neptune mayor and committeeman, said he is optimistic that the board will understand this fact. “It seemed to me that they appeared to understand our problem,” he said
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