Association Wishes To See Better Preservation of Historic City Buildings

Preserving Long Branch's remaining historic buildings is important to Beth Woolley.

Woolley, of the Long Branch Historical Association, asked the city council to change its historic preservation ordinance, with the hope of making the city eligible for federal assistance for preserving historic city buildings. She also hoped the city would form a historic commission that would oversee such sites.

Woolley said the city's current historical preservation ordinance does not feature language that would make the city eligible and also has an opt-out clause that would allow any person who owns or lives in a historic building to not have it added to a historic list.

"The other aspect of the issue is demolition by neglect," Woolley said. "There has to be provisions to protect the city from this."

Woolley said some towns make owners of historic homes rebuild them exactly as they were if they are torn down or destroyed, or it charges them with increasing fees as the home is neglected.

She said there was a home at 364 Cedar Ave., that was on the national and state historic list that was torn down and is currently an empty lot.

"There is no law in Long Branch that will stop this," Woolley said. "We originally had 20 (historic homes) on the state list, now six are empty lots."

Woolley said building such as the Church of the Presidents, the last remaining structure associated with the seven presidents who visited Long Branch, and the North Long Branch Primary School are on the national historic list and could be preserved further with help from grants.

"There would be money or federal tax credits to fix up a house or building on the list (if the city becomes eligible)," she said.

Woolley said the former Takanassee Beach Club site has several buildings that would "be eligible for any historic list," but that nobody has ever applied to have them added to such a list. The site is currently consists of three 100-year-old U.S. Lifesaving Service buildings, a beach and a lake, but has not been open to the public for years, but is still used by bathers, surfers and fisherman, even though no lifeguards oversee the beach. The owner reportedly hopes to build luxury homes on the property and preserve the historic buildings.

"That property has more historic value than any other," Mayor Adam Schneider said.

Mayor Schneider and Councilman John Pallone said the opt-out clause was placed in the ordinance for "legal reasons" and that some homeowners may not want to have their homes placed on a historical list.

Councilman Pallone said he had a list of historic preservation ordinances that were accepted by the state that allowed those municipalities to be eligible for federal money. He suggested the council look at those ordinances are try to come up with a similar one that could make the city eligible and allow it to keep the opt-out clause.

Woolley said keeping the opt-out clause would not help the city's chances, but agreed that she hoped the city would consider revising its ordinance.

Council President Michael Sirianni said "any money would help save what (historic buildings) we do have left," Sirianni said.