Redevelopment of Asbury Park, NJ

[JayEM]

My roommate just let me know he's getting a condo in Asbury Park, NJ. Those of you following the NYC area probably know Asbury as one of those 1920's vacation spots for the affluent New Yorker, which fell into drugs and decline by the 60's. Nearly everything in the place was abandoned as recently as 5 years ago.
So, my issue is -- is it really OK for three corporations to buy out an entire area of abandoned and/or extremely low-rent apartments, kick out the already extremely troubled population, and give it a Starbucks and Versace of its own? This hits a little close to home for me, as I personally know victims of Asbury Park's forced exodus.
If it's not ok, what can you do about it?

-J

[Cardinal]

Is it better to allow it to remain a place filled with the destitute and drug addicts? Anything that can turn the place around is a positive step.

[Gedunker]

Unless the owner broke some condition in the leases with the various former tenants, then no, it is not illegal. Private developers are not subject to eminent domain laws the way governments and utilities are -- they've got pretty much a free hand.

[Vlaude]

Victims? LOL, isn't that a bit harsh... I would imagine the people had leases some expired, some with release clause, and maybe others bought out? Sounds like about anything would be an improvement (that said I am not familar with the area). It would be nice to see some affordable housing to break up concentrations of low-income, but unfortunately that will probably not happen.

[Otis]

Is it better to allow it to remain a place filled with the destitute and drug addicts? Anything that can turn the place around is a positive step.

True. They have to move on and devalue some other property so the cycle can be continued.

[iamme]

True. They have to move on and devalue some other property so the cycle can be continued.

Well as long as the poor are referenced as though they are locusts...

[Cardinal]

True. They have to move on and devalue some other property so the cycle can be continued.

Hmmm... I like to think that it is not the people that devalue the property. Of course some do, but perhaps new locations can provide new opportunities for people.

[quink]

I think that unfortunate as it is, this whole issue will regulate itself. People have an inherent distrust of "THE COMPANY", especially if they have to go back to them for everything as owners of the locality. Plus, there's only that many Versace's someone can build in a country. And only that many that people can afford to buy at. Stuff like this will regulate itself not much further, but it's likely that we will see these private places pop up in small numbers around population centres to serve as a "natural habitat" for those who like their Versace in their backyard...

The least they should have done, however is provide reasonable accommodation for previous tenants as well. But it should come back and bite them in a few years, hopefully, depending on the development pattern, with people getting tired of living there. It is an experiment of sorts, and a wasteful and degrading one at that, but we will see more of them. However, and fortunately, places like that are as far from self-sustaining as they can get, and the pressure will be too much for this artificial community to handle.

[jresta]

Nearly everything in the place was abandoned as recently as 5 years ago.

So, my issue is -- is it really OK for three corporations to buy out an entire area of abandoned and/or extremely low-rent apartments, kick out the already extremely troubled population, and give it a Starbucks and Versace of its own?
-J

If it's already been abandoned then who is left to be displaced?

The truth is that "redevelopment" has been noticeable east of Main St. at least since the late 90's. It was just happening one house at a time rather than as some grand project.

This was what the small time investment looked like 5 years ago. Rehabs.




The big redevelopment project on the waterfront is taking place on parking lots and abandoned motels along Ocean and Kingsley Aves. There is no displacement because no one lives there. No one has ever lived there. The area was conceived and built as a summer resort.

One can see the redevelopment area here http://oceanfrontasbury.com/download...opment_map.pdf. Take a look at Google Maps and use the hybrid feature to compare. The sat. images they have are still pre-development. Note that, in the project map, buildings colored in gray or with hashmarks identify existing buildings not touched by redevelopment. Also note that the map is flipped on its side so the southern end of town is actually east on the map.

This was across the street from the Stone Pony at 2nd & Ocean. I'm in my early 30's. I remember asking my dad if it was going to get torn down . . . when i was 9.


The "casino" at the southern end of the Boardwalk - from different angles. Miraculously preserved along with the Power House behind it.








Looking past the Carousel (part of the casino) towards the chimney of the Power House


my back to the Carousel looking towards Palace Amusements (also preserved). The empty lot in between will be a hotel


Looking north on Ocean Ave. from the top of some old motel that is now called "The Senior Center" across the street is the Empress Hotel. That squat building in the fore is the Stone Pony. The red brick building off to the left in the distance is senior housing. One of the few places where people lived in the project area. That's at 5th & Kingsley (also preserved). Then there's the Deal Lake Tower in the distance, the tall, skinny, cream colored one at Deal Lake Dr. and Ocean Ave. That's also still there.



The downtown is being redeveloped on strictly market terms and is mostly old office buildings and department stores being converted to lofts. This was never a residential area. The parts of downtown included in the project, the blocks between Grand and Kingsley and south of Asbury Ave. was almost entirely parking lots - with the exception of block 141.
This was downtown 5 years ago.






The edge of downtown

[mylkman]

is it really OK for three corporations to buy out an entire area of abandoned and/or extremely low-rent apartments, kick out the already extremely troubled population, and give it a Starbucks and Versace of its own?
-J

Simple, flat out NO!!!. tell Starbucks and Versace the Yuppies are selsewhere, and to go **** themselves.

[BKM]

Simple, flat out NO!!!. tell Starbucks and Versace the Yuppies are selsewhere, and to go **** themselves.

Did you COMPLETELY ignore jresta's post above-illustrated with photographs of ACTUAL conditions?

[Otis]

Hmmm... I like to think that it is not the people that devalue the property. Of course some do, but perhaps new locations can provide new opportunities for people.

Actually, I agree with you 100%. I was making a very veiled reference to an old Doonsberry comic strip about Yuppification and displacement of low income residents. It was meant to be ironic, not literally true.

From looking at the photos, I'd say the area has some real gems that will go a long way towards making the area desirable once some infill development occurs. It seems like agreat opportunity to bring back an area already being served by utilities, roads, etc.

[jresta]

Give me 2 months. As soon as winter breaks i'll be back in Asbury to take some pictures of the redevelopment and to compare "before and after" pics

[jtmnkri]

My roommate just let me know he's getting a condo in Asbury Park, NJ. Those of you following the NYC area probably know Asbury as one of those 1920's vacation spots for the affluent New Yorker, which fell into drugs and decline by the 60's. Nearly everything in the place was abandoned as recently as 5 years ago.
So, my issue is -- is it really OK for three corporations to buy out an entire area of abandoned and/or extremely low-rent apartments, kick out the already extremely troubled population, and give it a Starbucks and Versace of its own? This hits a little close to home for me, as I personally know victims of Asbury Park's forced exodus.
If it's not ok, what can you do about it?

-J

The pictures posted below accurately depict the situation near the Asbury Park waterfront - almost total abandonment. I visited many times over the years to see shows at the Stone Pony, one of the few waterfront establishments that was still operating.

Your roommate made an interesting real estate investment. Home prices at the New Jersey shore have increased dramatically recently. Of New Jersey's top 20 home price performers between 2000 and 2005, 19 were shore towns. Asbury Park was 8th, as home prices increased 195% there. This home price growth emerged off a low base, but the 2000 census figures show Asbury Park residents - 81% of households rented - couldn't afford even the low prices of 5 years ago.

The residents of Asbury Park should not complain about the positive changes happening. After all, the city's destruction occurred at their hands and on their watch. The last mayor, who the city residents elected and who spearheaded the last government-inspired redevelopment plan, is living in a prison right now stemming from crimes he committed while trying to influence the redevelopment.

My close friend aimed to become a public defender in Monmouth County, where Asbury Park is located, and went to law school to pursue this goal. After interning in the Monmouth County public defender's office after his 2nd law school year, he gave up on the dream. The reason was the criminality present in Asbury Park. Morally, he couldn't bring himself to defend guilty Asbury Park residents who ended back on the street where they carried on committing crimes and destroying their own neighborhoods. The point is the more drug users kicked out of town by developers, the happier we should be.

Developers should be given a free hand to go about improving the Asbury Park situation. The local residents and the officials they elected are destroyers, not improvers. Give the developers a chance; developers built Asbury Park, and only they can rebuilt it. And please, despite the recent improvements Versace is not coming to Asbury Park any time soon.

[JayEM]

The pictures posted below accurately depict the situation near the Asbury Park waterfront - almost total abandonment. I visited many times over the years to see shows at the Stone Pony, one of the few waterfront establishments that was still operating.

Your roommate made an interesting real estate investment. Home prices at the New Jersey shore have increased dramatically recently. Of New Jersey's top 20 home price performers between 2000 and 2005, 19 were shore towns. Asbury Park was 8th, as home prices increased 195% there. This home price growth emerged off a low base, but the 2000 census figures show Asbury Park residents - 81% of households rented - couldn't afford even the low prices of 5 years ago.

The residents of Asbury Park should not complain about the positive changes happening. After all, the city's destruction occurred at their hands and on their watch. The last mayor, who the city residents elected and who spearheaded the last government-inspired redevelopment plan, is living in a prison right now stemming from crimes he committed while trying to influence the redevelopment.

My close friend aimed to become a public defender in Monmouth County, where Asbury Park is located, and went to law school to pursue this goal. After interning in the Monmouth County public defender's office after his 2nd law school year, he gave up on the dream. The reason was the criminality present in Asbury Park. Morally, he couldn't bring himself to defend guilty Asbury Park residents who ended back on the street where they carried on committing crimes and destroying their own neighborhoods. The point is the more drug users kicked out of town by developers, the happier we should be.

Developers should be given a free hand to go about improving the Asbury Park situation. The local residents and the officials they elected are destroyers, not improvers. Give the developers a chance; developers built Asbury Park, and only they can rebuilt it. And please, despite the recent improvements Versace is not coming to Asbury Park any time soon.

I don't believe developers ought to be given a free hand do do anything to an entire municipality. While most of Asbury was indeed abandoned, it was also inhabited by extremely poor and disenfranchised people in a pattern which echoes that of any poor neighborhood in America. Plans like those taking place in Asbury make life more aesthetically pleasing for the gentry moving in (and yes, they are getting a Versace) and then shuttle the poor out of sight and out of mind. The Northeast region, centered around NYC, is a particularly interesting place to watch this happen because of its density relative to its size; cities and related towns displace residents block-by-block. If you ask me, no corporation should ever have been allowed to get rich enough to boot residents from a neighborhood, from a block, from a home, or from a history.
While it's true that Asbury will no longer be drug-riddled, the developers have no part in that improvement. They are merely moving the drugs somewhere else. All the developers in the country are doing the same. I guess this is what I'm getting at: why is no one outraged at the bigger picture?

-Justin