Revised, but still criticized

By Neil Schulman
Long Branch — Planners for 11 townhouses proposed to be built in the lots next to the Promenade Beach Club say that they have made some revisions to their plan to address concerns about trucks getting in and drainage from the site. But critics say that these revisions may actually make things worse.

An artist’s rendering of what the 11 townhouses proposed for Marine Terrace will look like. Critics have several concerns, including whether a large truck, such as a moving van or fire engine, can get down that roadway between houses.

On Tuesday, the Long Branch Planning Board continued a hearing, started last December, for TDB Associates, which is seeking to build 11 townhouses off Marine Terrace. Some nearby residents and the beach club next door object to the plan.
The hearing is expected to continue at the board’s August meeting, and representatives for TDB say they will be taking the criticism into account.

At the July meeting, Vince Orlando, project engineer for TDB, said that since the last meeting they have revised their drainage plans for the property. After examining the soil and discovering a layer of clay underneath, TDB determined “we were not going to be able to rely on infiltration.”

Instead, they will use an underground storage tank, which will collect rainwater and then allow it to be slowly released, preventing any issues with runoff from bothering surrounding properties.

It will also include a filtration system to eliminate up to 80 percent of the sediments in the water before it leaves the property, he said.

Orlando said that they have also taken another look at their driveway to the “L” shaped property, which critics feared was too narrow for trucks to get in or out. They ran simulations which showed that a fire truck or other large vehicle can enter, though they will have to back up to leave since there is no way for them to turn around on site.

In addition, TDB will install a powerful fire suppression system in the units.

But James Kennedy, a project engineer hired by objectors to review the plan, said that neither the flood relief nor the analysis of truck plan would work the way Orlando said.
Some of the runoff from the proposed underground water storage would go to Grant Street – which currently doesn’t get any runoff from the site, Kennedy said. Parts of the property have an elevation of 14 feet above sea level, and Grant Street is at 15 feet, meaning water currently stays on the lot, not on the street.

He also said the way the underground storage system is built, it won’t be able to handle heavy rainfall, and could back up if it gets too full, making things worse. He also worries it would be difficult to clean if it got clogged with sand, which could wind up on the property during a major event like a hundred-year storm.

The runoff was likely to wind up in the parking lot of his client, the Promenade Beach Club, he said, causing flooding issues for them.

Kennedy said there wasn’t enough room in the design to address unexpected problems.
“The system is so tight, we’re within inches of failure,” he said.

He also questioned the model for trucks, saying TDB engineers only looked at the turning area of the wheels, not the body. Since a fire truck’s body may move further than the wheels, he said it would be impossible for one to get in if there are cars parked close ot the entrance, something which is common on the street with limited parking.

And while a fire engine would be able to back up with lights flashing and supervision, Kennedy said that a commercial truck such as a moving van would have a lot more trouble getting out of the lot and turning back onto the street.

Kennedy suggested the developers consider eliminating one or two units, giving the trucks room to turn around. That space could also be semi-permeable, helping control runoff too, he suggested.

Orlando, however, said that he thought the basic design as it exists could be tweaked to address these concerns.

“I think Mr. Kennedy brought a couple of good points up,” he said, though he did disagree about some of the details.
While these sort of issues are often addressed by the developer’s engineer talking to the planning board’s engineer, several people at the meeting suggested that the revisions should be announced in public, due to the number of concerned groups.
Michael Leckstein, the attorney for the beach club, said that a public record on these matters would be important if this case goes to court.

Survey questioned
At the hearing, Leckstein said that his client had performed a survey showing different borders than TDB’s showed.
Anthony Manzo, attorney for TDB, said that they had not had time to fully study the survey, or question the creator of it. He said they contested the findings, which representatives said may be confusing a fence line with a property line.

Because the buildings are required to be at least 11 feet away from the property line, the project would need to be redesigned if the opposition’s survey of that part of the border is correct.

Martin Arbus, Board Attorney, said that the Planning Board would not be making a determination of which survey was accurate.

Sufficient parking?
As with last meeting, the question of whether the townhouses have enough parking spaces in their plan was brought up.
Each townhouse has a two-car garage, and there will be six spaces for visitors, for a total of 28 spaces, more than required by law.
However, developers were asking for a waiver from a requirement they create at least one off-site parking space.

Assistant City Planner Carl Turner said that all developments in Beachfront North in the last several years have needed that waiver. The redevelopment plan calls for adding extra off-site parking, but it was created before a legal settlement made it so only smaller scale work could be done, keeping new roads from being created.

There is no way to create off-site parking, since the streets are already filled with cars.

While neighbors said they thought six guest spots wasn’t enough, and it would lead to more parking on the streets, Arbus said the plan exceeds legal requirements. He also said this has always been an issue for the area, not just TDB’s proposal.
“Someone living on Marine Terrace, if there’s five parties on the Fourth of July, you’re in trouble” finding parking spaces, Arbus said.

Hearing continues
The hearing is scheduled to continue on August 19, as the second item on the agenda.
Manzo worried that, if the first item takes a long time, they might not be able to be heard. The hearing has already taken two full three-hour board sessions.
However, Turner said that the next available meeting after that wasn’t until October. It was not clear if a special meeting could be scheduled before then.