Grant of $1.1 million recommended for Brad Cove
Formal offer to preserve tract has yet to be made to developer
Asbury Park has been recommended for a state Green Acres Grant of $1.1 million to be used toward the preservation of the Bradley Cove area on the North Asbury beachfront. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] made the announcement on Wednesday.
Master waterfront redeveloper iStar Financial has proposed 15 townhouses on the .6 acre tract on what is currently the Ocean Avenue right-of-way from the sewerage treatment plant to near the Loch Arbor border.
IStar’s Vice President of Land Brian Cheripka has said the company will consider offers by the city or any other government entity to purchase its development rights to the land. But he has said that iStar would expect to receive fair market value for its rights to the property, as iStar must pay to those whose land it obtains.
No offer has yet to be made to iStar, as an appraisal still needs to be completed by the city. The county government had authorized an appraisal, but it was never completed.
“The Bradley Cove tract is in the right-of-way along the oceanfront in front of the Asbury Towers [senior housing],” said Councilman Joe Woerner who made the announcement during the City Council workshop meeting. “Instead of having a 40-foot high wall stretching from the water plant all the way to the lake, the green space will be preserved.”
“It’s been a long battle,” Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn said. “This is a win for the hundreds of people who have been protesting the building of Bradley Cove.”
The City Council discussed obtaining appraisal services for Bradley Cove during its closed executive session on Wednesday night, Quinn said.
The $1.1 million award would require a 20 percent matching grant from Monmouth County, Woerner said.
The Garden State Preservation Trust recommended a total $102.3 million in Green Acres open space acquisition and recreational development projects, DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said on Wednesday in a news release. The list of proposed projects was recommended to the Trust by the administration of Gov. Chris Christie for final approval.
The state Senate and Assembly must now pass legislation to formalize the list submitted by the Governor, who would sign the legislation.
For more details on the approved funding list, visit DEPs Green Acres website.
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