Public Meeting Thursday on What to do With Sandy Hook's Historic Buildings

Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area - They've discussed turning some of them into Air B&B-style vacation rentals. Others have suggested art studios, a restaurant, a sailing school and even a hospice.

Either way, plans abound for what to do with the aging — and decaying — historic buildings that dot Fort Hancock in Sandy Hook Gateaway National Recreation Area. This Thursday, Sept. 8, the formal Fort Hancock advisory committee will hold a public meeting where more ideas will be presented on how to make the buildings useable once again. Investment possibilities for residential, commercial and non-profit leasing will also be discussed. The public is invited to attend and ask questions.

The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. in the Thompson Park Visitor Center, 805 Newman Springs Road in Lincroft. Public comments will be taken at 11:30 a.m. Speakers will be called in the order they sign up. Written comments may also be submitted to the committee in person, by mail or email, or on the committee’s website at http://www.forthancock21.org.

The homes are part of Officers Row, a historic collection of Army officers' quarters built in 1895, and used when the U.S. Army's Fort Hancock was in operation at Sandy Hook. Officers Row overlooks Sandy Hook Bay, offering sweeping views of the sunset. As Patch previously reported, earlier this year two local New Jersey men, Brian Samuelson and Joseph Dorsey, signed a lease to rent out Building 21. Their plan is to renovate the three-story structure and turn it into a summer or year-round vacation rental.

34 other buildings along Officers Row are available for lease, and the park service is eager to see the historic structures renovated and used again. Anyone is welcome to submit a proposal to the National Park Service for how they plan to use a building, be it for full-time private residential, lodging (hotel/B&B), commercial or non-profit use.

"Gateway cannot afford to renovate the buildings on its own," Daphne Yun, a spokeswoman for Gateway National Recreation Area, told Patch earlier this year. "In 2013, we opened it up to the public for bids."

All photos of Officers' Row at Sandy Hook used with permission from the National Park Service