By THOMAS DE SENO
A developer is not “Saving Holy Spirit Church.”
It’s emotional propaganda, is what it is.
Bishop of Trenton David O’Connell sold the former Holy Spirit Church in Asbury Park to developer JLD Investments. Bishop O’Connell is the worst thing to happen to Catholics since Roman Emperors made us fistfight with lions.
JLD, has a campaign claiming they will “save Holy Spirit” or “save the Church.” This is for people half paying attention. Some will read, “save the church” and think, “Yes! I want to save the church!” Then they won’t pay attention to the rest of it.
The “rest of it” is that there are no plans to “save” any church. JLD’s plans involve either knocking the building down or gutting it, or pie in the sky promises of artistic uses they won’t deliver. There are no plans to save the church.
Unwitting local media keeps reprinting the fiction. Bishop O’Connell and the developer killed it when the church was deconsecrated and declared no longer a church. The last mass was an awful day with parishioners crying in the pews. Bishop O’Connell skipped it. Cardinal Tobin was busy on Twitter. They offered no comfort. Each treated the death of a 140-year-old parish with the solemnity of closing a gas station. My estimation is the 07712-zip code was their excuse. Not enough money here for them to care.
So what are JLD’s plans? To have the taxpayers and renters of Asbury Park pay for their project. They seek a “Redevelopment Area Bond” (RAB) and a 30-year PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes). One makes the taxpayer their bank, the other their business partner.
A RAB is when the city uses its credit to take a loan from the state, gives it to the developer, and the developer gets 30 years to pay it back. If the developer doesn’t pay, the taxpayer pays it. A PILOT is a huge property tax break lasting 30 years.
Here is the problem with both. I’m not bringing this up to be mean; it has consequences to Asbury’s taxpayers and renters: JLD is being sued in three counties in four lawsuits for not paying workers like carpenters and drywall hangers, and not paying suppliers. The amounts alleged are in the 100s of thousands of dollars. Do you really want to bet Asbury taxpayer’s credit and money on them paying this back? If this project is so good, let them get a bank loan like everyone else.
PILOTS are awful to the taxpayer and renter. They get a huge 30-year tax break, while the rest of the taxpayers make up the difference. When taxes go up, rents go up!
Is JLD aware of the gentrification problem in Asbury Park? Asbury is still poor, with a poverty rate that doubles the US and New Jersey. Yet condos are selling for $5 million and rents are $4,500 a month or higher. Good grief!
PILOTS in Asbury are killing small homeowners and renters as sure as Pontius Pilate killed Jesus. The Black population in Asbury is still the poorest and hurts the most, yet here comes JLD bringing more gentrification while making themselves Lord of The Gentry.
JLD claims putting the property on the tax rolls helps because the Church paid none. Economists say not so. Churches do charity which they couldn’t afford if they paid taxes. The government would have to increase services and everyone’s taxes would rise. But that’s moot anyway.
Currently the property pays $25,000 yearly in taxes. JLD wants so many tax breaks after building 90 apartments (only 15 affordable), a café and event space (can you say parking nightmare?), they will only pay $45,000 in taxes!
Here is the bad part: PILOTS are exempt from school taxes. Schools get nothing. Asbury pays about $40,000 per year to educate 1 child. If 2 children move in taxpayers will lose money. If 25 children move in, Asbury will lose $1 million a year, every year. This is the gentrifiers way of saying, “to hell with your kids.”
Their plan is currently illegal. They need to have the council extend the Main Street Redevelopment Plan and loosen rules on density to make it legal (who wants more density?).
The entire City Council ran against poor-crushing PILOTS. Don’t fail us now. We are watching. To the artists and theater operator being promised space by JLD to curry their favor, recall JLD’s promise to pay carpenters and drywall hangers who are now suing for their paychecks.
For Asbury history buffs, this is Fishman’s Asbury Partners from 2002 at the beachfront all over again. I warned the City Council then not to put an underfunded entity in charge of a $500 million project. You didn’t listen. Look at you now – we can’t even use Convention Hall or Paramount Theater (when are you going to sue those guys for that?). Also, since destroying the Mayfair Theater 50 years ago, we’ve been promised an historic preservation ordinance so this wouldn’t happen again. Pass one or pass on running for council again.
Don’t worry about JLD tearing the former church down if this doesn’t get approved. Their realtor is on record saying their contract with the Church forbids it. They also can’t afford it. They’ll sell it first, hopefully to a church. Don’t believe that reconsecrating a church is forbidden. I can take them to three such churches in Italy.
Finally, if they do get approved, I can guarantee they will have bad luck, as will anyone who moves there, because I put a curse on that property.
Thomas De Seno is an attorney and an Asbury Park historian.
