A Letter To The Editor From Steve McLaughlin

As a resident of Point Pleasant Boro, I am both excited and greatly troubled by the introduction of what promises to be a great bar and grille into Point Pleasant Boro. The old Forte Restaurant has been bought by the owners of Harpoon Willy’s (a very popular, successful and tasty joint), and they plan to open Half Moon Point Bar and Grille.

Forte was a quiet restaurant, that operated unnoticed by its neighbors for years. With the new owner’s successful operating track record, it’s safe to say the neighbors notice a difference when Half Moon Point opens. The troubling part is that their remodeling plans require multiple variances which would greatly impact the surrounding residential homes.

First a little history. The Forte restaurant has gone through a number of name and ownership changes over the years. The building was initially built based on a conditional agreement that the original owners would never apply for a license to sell alcohol. These original owners owned another establishment across town, and immediately after that other establishment burned down, they applied to move the liquor license to the “Forte” property.

Point Pleasant Boro denied that request, so the owners appealed to the state and won. Bottom line, Point Pleasant Boro never intended or approved of a liquor license at this site. This discussion is included to support the argument that in denying any additional variances for Half Moon point, the town will be in line with the original intent for the property - A small low key establishment.

The remodeling plans for the Half Moon Point fall short of existing zoning laws in a number of areas. The two areas of most concern are the insufficient parking, and the outdoor dining area. The current lot only provides 31 undersized parking spots on site, but based on bar seating and square feet, the new plans require 42 full size parking spaces. The result would be residential streets swamped with patron’s cars.

In addition, Rue Cambon is a narrow street, and with on street parking on both sides, it will effectively become a one lane road. They also intend to build an outdoor dining deck, which will encroach on the side yard setbacks by six feet. It’s important to understand that this deck will face Rue Cambon, which is a residential street and whose neighbors will lose all privacy as a result.

The intent of our zoning laws and therefore responsibility of the board is to “conserve the value of property and to encourage the most appropriate use or development of land within the Boro..” Approving these variances “as is” would be the most egregious violation of this responsibility, and would certainly open the town up to liability for the neighbor’s loss in property value.

The caveat “as is” is important, as the neighbors are not trying to prevent Half Moon Point from opening, as we fully anticipate being patrons. We simply ask that the town look at ways to reduce the impact to the private residences, which there are a number of ways to do so.

A short list would be 1) No outside dining should be allowed on the sides of the property that face the residential streets, 2) Establish resident only parking along Rue Cambon and Beach Boulevard, 3) Traffic should be directed immediately back to the Bridge Avenue and 4) Require a standing lease with neighboring businesses to ensure adequate off street parking.

I encourage you all to come out to the Zoning Board Meeting on December 3 at 7 p.m. in the Point Pleasant Town Hall to express your views on this subject.

Steve McLaughlin

Point Pleasant