Guest Column
Brian A. Unger
The Pit truly becoming a pit from construction debris
More than a dozen surfers and environmentalists cleaned West End beaches April 27 for the spring beach sweeps campaign, and were stunned at the amount of building materials, construction debris and fast-food containers discarded over the fence and onto the beach from the adjacent construction site of luxury town homes and condominiums known as The Renaissance.
The Renaissance is the large private development at Ocean and Brighton avenues that fills the beach and parking area formerly known as The Pit for 20-25 years. The Pit was one of the most popular surfing destinations in Long Branch and one of the city’s most popular unregulated community beaches. It was a community meeting place utilized by fishermen, surfers, beachcombers and other beach-goers and their families. It also helped sustain a nearby surf shop business, since shuttered.
Many Long Branch and Monmouth County residents were distressed when this huge luxury condo filled the beachfront in West End. The aesthetics of The Renaissance are questionable at best. The density of this complex, situated as it is on a beach that must be replenished and protected with public tax dollars, is simply stunning.
I have formally asked the city to require the developer of this condominium project to closely monitor construction and do a better job of ensuring no more building debris and food containers are discarded on the beach by construction crews or staff.
City Hall, apparently in yet another unanimous 5-0 vote, has also recently granted The Renaissance condominium association the right to regulate The Pit and charge access fees to members of the public who wish to recreate on the beach or in the water.
This is an additional concern and many, many people in town believe it should be revoked. We question whether private owners of exclusive luxury oceanfront developments should be granted the dubious right to operate a public beach and collect fees. It is an unwise development and a bad precedent.
A similar situation is occurring at 875 Ocean Ave., Elberon section of Long Branch, where a large house is undergoing extensive renovation. This structure sits on a large concrete platform right on the bulkhead immediately overlooking the ocean. There are no tarps, fences, screens or other protective measures in place to prevent construction debris from blowing directly onto the beach or into the ocean.
During recent strong, gusty, northwest winds, I observed construction materials, packing foam, and tar paper blowing off the concrete platform onto the beach and into the water.
Perhaps a new city ordinance needs to be adopted specifically for oceanside construction in Long Branch to protect our beach and ocean from debris and litter. I hope someone on the City Council can propose this, because then, as eternally is the case, it will be met with unanimity in the vital democratic debates of this august chamber.
In light of the massive intensive luxury condominium development slated for our beach town, an ordinance such as this and a debate such as this might be worthwhile.
Brian A. Unger is a member of the Surfer’s Environmental Alliance and a resident of Long Branch