By BILL BARLOW /Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP – After hours of additional testimony, the Upper Township Zoning Board got about halfway through the list of residents seeking to comment on a proposal to replace the Strathmere Motel with a far larger structure.
As the night continued on Thursday, Feb. 11, speaker after speaker after speaker lambasted the proposal, raising concerns about increased density, additional traffic and the reliance of the new business on a septic system, as do all homes and businesses in the beachside community.
But the primary worry seemed to be that the proposal would fundamentally alter the character of the community. Questions of the future of Strathmere have loomed large in recent years, with new zoning changes aimed at preventing overdevelopment and residents reporting overwhelming crowds in the summer.
Township Committee is considering steps to ease those issues, including new parking limitations and the potential introduction of beach tags. But in terms of public turnout, no issue has rivaled the hotel proposal. More than 100 residents signed up to speak, most sitting through more than 12 hours of testimony and presentations over the course of three previous meetings since October, waiting to have their say.
The Thursday meeting gave the largest number a chance to weigh in so far, but there are still 57 speakers on the list, expected to have their chance March 11 starting at 6:30 p.m. After that, the attorneys representing some objecting neighbors and the applicant will have a chance to present closing arguments before the board finally rules.
Richard King, an attorney representing owner Stephen Maloney, said the applicant should get the final word before the vote.
“We wanted to say stuff. We haven’t. We’ve been listening,” he told the board. “We should go last.”
Board member Matt Unsworth, serving as the chairman for the application, agreed.
The proposal calls for the demolition of the existing Strathmere Motel at 513 Commonwealth Ave., which the owner says is obsolete, to be replaced by a larger project to be called “The Inn at Strathmere.”
In December, the applicant amended their proposal, reducing the size of the structure, including the proposed height. The existing building at 513 Commonwealth Ave. dates from 1923. Once a home, it became a motel in 1959, but has not been open to the public in recent summers. The new building would cover most of the block, with parking underneath and kitchens in each of the rooms.
The single building was designed to give the visual impression of several buildings. The applicant argues that the design by architect Bill McLees would be a considerable improvement over what exists.
“He has worked with the available space to create a structure that attempts to balance a number of interests. That includes the demands of a modern hotel consumer at the Jersey shore. Balance that with the economic realities of where this is located and the costs involved, while also giving due consideration to the understandable desire of the neighbors to not have a monolithic structure dominate their streetscape,” King said when the plans were first presented in October. “We believe Bill has balanced these beautifully.”
Neighbors seemed entirely unconvinced.
At the meeting on Thursday, held remotely, speaker after speaker pleaded with the board to say no to the proposal, which will need a use variance even though it replaces an existing motel. Strathmere does not have any zone for motels or hotels. The revised application still requires bulk variances as well, including for the overall lot coverage.
Neighbor Janice Oliver said she believes the building would have “many negative impacts” on those living nearby and on the community. She cited the height of the building.
“Our quiet street in this quaint beach town that we all chose to live in will now be more like a city block lined with rowhouses,” she said. “It may be appropriate in an urban area, but certainly not in our block of single-family homes.”
Oliver, and multiple other speakers, argued that Strathmere was unlike any other community along the beach or on the mainland.
Neighbor Bill Deger cited the construction of The Reeds in his former town of Stone Harbor, a hotel and restaurant built near the commercial downtown on a waterfront property that had been fenced off and vacant for years before its construction.
He argued that the construction changed the nature of Stone Harbor, and that the hotel plan could do the same in Strathmere, ruining the sense of a small family community. They moved from Stone Harbor to Strathmere in 2019, close to the proposed hotel site.
“If these variances are approved, our ocean views will be replaced with the cold shadow of a massive building, our calming ocean harmonies will be replaced with the beeping of car horns and slamming of car doors as motel occupants try to check in. Our once relaxed small town community will become the scene of traffic jams as motel occupants try to find a parking spot that simply won’t exist,” Deger said.
Several speakers argued that parking problems would become far worse if the application were approved.
With so many on a remote call, there were some technical issues, as some speakers could not get their computer’s cameras to work while others failed to mute their microphones. Others could barely be heard because of technical issues. Each speaker had to be sworn in, a prerequisite for giving testimony to the Zoning Board, and give their name and address.
Neighbors were determined to be heard.
“I was attracted to Strathmere 24 years ago because of the small-town, residential feel it offered. And I’ll tell you, I’m frightened of losing it,” said Donna Martello. “I agree with all of the opposing views this evening.”
Early in the meeting, board members said the meeting would not go after 10 p.m. Before the next meeting, the board plans to hold a special meeting to catch up on some of the other applications that have been delayed as the board focuses on this application. A proposal for Bayview Drive to lift a single-family home and add additions was set for the Feb. 11 meeting but was delayed because of the hotel application.
Unsworth said he hoped to complete the public comment portion of the hotel application at the March 11 meeting and could possibly give the board a chance to vote on the application. He asked members to be prepared to give their reasons why they vote for or against the application.