Coaster File Photo
The former church property has been approved for single family homes.
By PETE WALTON
By a unanimous vote, the Bradley Beach Land Use Board has approved subdivision of the borough-owned former church property at 317-319 LaReine Ave. into four conforming lots for single-family homes.
According to the resolution approved last week, the borough can “subdivide [the land] into four confirming lots and deed restrictions allowing only permitted uses upon said property.”
The borough purchased the former First United Methodist Church from the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for $1.3 million in January 2020. In 2022, it was named as an endangered historic site by a statewide preservation group.
A suggestion was made to repurpose the building as a community center, and the council authorized studies of the potential cost.
In a non-binding referendum in 2022, voters rejected a proposal to convert the building after the borough’s architectural firm said it could cost as much as $10 million.
According to real estate professionals, the property could be worth more than $4 million if the church and adjacent parsonage are demolished and the land divided into four lots for single-family homes.
Unlike the tax-exempt status granted to the church, the lots and future improvements would be added to the borough’s tax base.
Testimony reviewed by the land use panel asserted that no further variances would be required for construction on the lots if all current conditions were fulfilled.
A number of residents who were required by law to be notified of the application expressed concerns that the land use board was giving both preliminary and final approvals to the subdivision at the same time.
A state requirement calls for submission of a grading plan before the application is approved. Board professionals said a waiver could be granted to fulfill that requirement.
The property owners within the 200-foot notification radius who spoke said they were concerned about the possibility of four different developers proposing conflicting plans for water runoff solutions.
