Beach Haven Auto Site Designated for Development

Aug 06, 2023

By Eric Englund | on August 02, 2023

WHAT’S NEXT?: The former site of Beach Haven Auto is being looked at as a possible site for redevelopment. A resolution has sparked controversy over the use of the word ‘condemnation.’ (Photo by Jack Reynolds)

At an agenda meeting last week, the Beach Haven Borough Council approved a recommendation by the land use board to designate the former site of Beach Haven Auto as a condemnation area in need of redevelopment.

Located at the corner of 12th Street and Bay Avenue near the Long Beach Township border, the land is owned by Elmer and Mary Pence and Chuck Cook.

The resolution said the property meets two of several state statute requirements to be designated as such. One involves being an abandoned property for at least two years.

“Review of site photography indicated that all uses of the study area were discontinued on or around July 2017 and the property has remained unoccupied and underutilized for the past six years,” the resolution said. “During that time, the building has become dilapidated and unkempt and neither the business nor parking has been maintained. No code enforcement citations have been formally issued for the property. However, the current state of affairs of the site appears to warrant an inspection by the code enforcement officer.”

The site is “environmentally constrained” and if it is not remediated it will be “detrimental to the safety, health, morals or welfare of the community,” according to the resolution.

“Materials such as gasoline, diesel, motor oils and similar materials were identified on-site on or about Dec. 6, 2019,” the borough said.

Councilwoman Colleen Lambert, who voted against the resolution, wanted the matter tabled, saying that the owners have already taken steps to have the area remediated.

“For us to do this now would be a waste of taxpayer money and as long as the owners are taking steps and are more than willing to do it, I trust them. The situation is not as dire as originally thought and if we are on a parallel course with the corporation and they have a buyer, for us to do this is premature. The Pence family has lived here for 40 years and I can’t believe they let something be a danger to the community.”

Councilman Michael Battista disagreed, saying the resolution is meant to “support the owners to get the area cleaned up.”

“We’re not taking the property over,” he said. “We have this vacant building at the gate of our town, and we want to help them clean it up. The borough has the ability to borrow money that can assist them financially in cleaning the area up and putting the building back into service and thrive as a business. I know the Pences, too, and we want to help them and it helps the new buyers. This action is in support of getting this property cleaned up.”

During public portion, two daughters of the Pences said the council should have held off on adopting the resolution.

“The threat of condemnation is troublesome and affects the marketability and development of the site, which is otherwise on track as we have a potential buyer,” said Mary Lee Pence. “There is no harm to the borough in taking more time to understand the status of this site.”

She added that continued studies indicate that the groundwater impact has not migrated beyond the property’s boundaries.

“There is no report of wells affected by the contamination,” said Pence.

Anne Fullerton, Pence’s older sister, said the council should remove the word “condemnation” from the resolution, saying it hinders the sale process and the future development of a site that could be beneficial to the town.

“I was a part of the initial meetings with the borough,” she said. “We shared as much information as possible and we look forward to continue working with the town but respectfully request that you remove ‘condemnation’ from the resolution.”

Resident James Vogel said the owners left a recent land use board meeting with certain assurances that when the resolution was presented to the council, the word “condemnation” would be removed and the property left described as a development zone.

“This is sad,“ he said. “The Pences have both served the borough for decades and they are honorable people. They have taken steps for remediation. Ms. Lambert, I appreciate your concerns. The rest of you, I find it shameful that you take this action.”

He also said if there are health concerns, a formerly used incinerator adjacent next to the property should be investigated.

Resident Margie Carnevale added, “What you are doing to the Pences is horrible. Why can’t you do a revote and take that word (condemnation) out?”

— Eric Englund

[email protected]

You must be logged in to post a comment.