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Editor, Asbury Park Sun,

I’m Tim Harris Jr, local resident. I believe that we are in the midst of a once in our lifetime opportunity here in Asbury Park. For the first time in years, the city is taking the necessary steps to address the issues of abandoned properties and blight in our communities.

I see this as an opportunity because I’m a budding real estate investor, looking and hoping to buy up distressed properties and turn them into affordable housing. My thing is, this is the perfect opportunity for the community to join in, and stake a claim in this town.

I’m a 3rd generation African-American real estate investor. With my grandfather & father both investing in this town for years [since the 1950’s], I had realized that they were in their 20’s when they made their first moves, and staked a claim in this town. I look at a lot youth in their 20’s around here, and they’re not concentrated on making these similar moves, especially when the opportunity is ripe for the picking.

Now, I’m all for revitalizing the town, and getting it back to the good old days, where the local economy on the West Side of Asbury Park/Neptune was thriving. What concerns me is that locals in the community aren’t having dialog about taking an active role in that process [and if they are, I sure don’t know about it]. For me, I’m looking to participate by acquiring some properties, and utilizing my resources as a new realtor to help put them back on the market for responsible homeowners to buy.

The city needs more responsible homeowners. That’s why the West Side is the mess that it is. You have out-of-town, out of state owners and banks who aren’t showing concern for the way their properties look. They assume “out of sight, out of mind”. And you have irresponsible residents who are more than likely tenants who figure “Why should I care? I don’t own it!”, and choose not to keep up the place. I mean, why should they have to? That’s what they pay the landlord to do! But the landlord says again “out of sight, out of mind”.

If anything, the people of the West Side need to just finally learn how to invest in their own community. In other states, the communities are forming trusts, to protect their land, and use it as leverage to restore it back to its glory.

Besides, investing in your own community could be profitable, provide income for the locals, and give them the capital needed to rebuild some store fronts, some more housing, a new community center, more businesses (which will open up more jobs, of course).

But that’s just my thought. I can only pray that we the people of the West Side will finally learn how to stake their claim, and invest in our own community, while the once-in-our-lifetime opportunity is upon us.

Sincerely,

Tim Harris, Jr.
Asbury Park

[This letter represents the opinion of its writer and is not representative of any opinion of the Asbury Park Sun staff. All readers are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor to news@asburyparksun.com for our consideration. For guidelines on letter-writing and submission, click here.]
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