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The push to save the plot of land referred to as Bradley Cove took a hit last month when a technicality prevented the Board of Chosen Freeholders the ability to appropriate a matching grant to help fund purchasing the land back from iStar, the waterfront redeveloper.

“We applied for matching funds to Monmouth County for Green Acres Municipal Grant but were denied on a technicality,” Councilman Joe Woerner said. “The Freeholders are supportive but we will have to go a different route.”

Woerner said the technicality had to do with the grant guidelines limiting the city, as title holder, from buying a property from itself.

But while the city holds the title it is waterfront redeveloper iStar that controls the development rights to the land and the ability to construct 15 townhomes, named Bradley Cove, in what is now the Ocean Avenue right-of-way from the sewerage treatment plant north toward the Loch Arbor border.

The Garden State Preservation Trust recommended the $1.1 million awarded to Asbury Park in order to purchase the Bradley Cove development rights back from iStar. This award was to be paired with a $250,000 matching grant by the Monmouth County Freeholders.

The one year clock started this fall and if a deal is not struck by fall 2016, that $1.1 million will be appropriated to another town to preserve open space, Woerner said.

The parcel of land was appraised by two independent firms at $3.2 million, Councilman Joe Woerner said.  iStar has said they will have the lot independently appraised before discussions begin.

City Manager Michael Capabianco said last week that the waterfront redeveloper has signed an agreement to get the appraisal done.

“I spoke to Brian [Cheripka, Senior Vice President of Land and Development],” Capabianco said. “The appraisal should be ready in a couple weeks; definitely in less than 30 days.”

Woerner said, “Hopefully we will hear soon so we can begin negotiations because the green acres money has a clock on it, which started in September/October.”

On Sunday The Surfrider Foundation, Jersey Coast Chapter, issued this post of support:

There is no question about it. 2016 is shaping up to be the year to save Asbury Park’s north end beach from the ill-conceived “Townhomes at Bradley Cove”. We might argue that if it doesn’t happen this year, it will never happen. Here’s why:

1. The State has granted the City of Asbury Park 1.1 million dollars in Green Acres money to buy the development rights back from iStar. The one year clock started in the fall of 2015. If a deal is not in the works by the fall of 2016, that 1.1 million goes to another town to preserve open space.

2. The current Asbury Park City Council of Mayor John Moor, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, and Councilperson Yvonne Clayton, Jesse Kendle, and Joe Woerner are strong supporters of our movement to stop the Bradley Cove development. They are currently renegotiating the Waterfront Redevelopment Area (WRA) Agreement with the hope of removing the “Townhomes at Bradley Cove” from the plan.

3. iStar, the Waterfront Master Redeveloper, is eligible to receive up to 58 million dollars in public funds to rebuild Asbury Park’s infrastructure on the Waterfront. Since cutting this deal, they have used those funds to jumpstart development in the WRA (residential projects include the Vive, South Grand, Monroe as well as the Asbury Hotel and 1101 Ocean Avenue). Its time iStar leveraged those funds to provide some “green” infrastructure in one of the last coastal open spaces in Monmouth County.

4. The Monmouth County Freeholders have pledged to provide the matching funds for the City’s Green Acres grant.

5. We are a movement that is committed to see this issue resolved in 2016!

To get started, take the 5 action items on our website – saveasburypark.surfrider.org – and share them with your friends. It’s our job to build this movement and its supports as we enter this crucial year.

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