BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer
SUE MORGAN WEST LONG BRANCH — Two boarded-up houses sitting at the corner of Broadway and Halsey Street, described by some passersby as an eyesore, will soon be no more.
Property owner James Kennedy agrees that the sight of the closed-off, vacated houses and single garage is off-putting. But the pre-demolition procedures must be completed according to standards before the wrecking crews and bulldozers can begin tearing the buildings apart, he said.
The expected razing is a work in progress, said Kennedy, principal of Red Bank-based Broadway Holdings LLC, the corporate entity that holds the property deed.
“We’re just trying to get the job done right,” Kennedy said.
In fact, as of Tuesday, underground storage tanks beneath the buildings were to be removed in accordance with construction codes, Kennedy explained.
After that, gas and electric utility lines must be disconnected and an exterminator must inspect for any vermin that might have moved into the otherwise empty houses, he continued.
Once all those requirements are met, Broadway Holdings can apply to the borough for demolition permits.
If all goes according to plan, and with the cooperation of Mother Nature, the houses and garage will be torn down within the next several weeks, Kennedy said.
Come spring, Broadway Holdings expects to begin construction of a new two-story office building on the site, which is located just off Route 36.
At approximately 69,000 square feet, the new structure will house four professional suites of about 15,000 square feet each, explained Kennedy. The remaining footage will be used as a common space for the four tenants, he added.
To date, no tenants are lined up to occupy the office suites. However, Kennedy believes the spaces will go quickly, given the building’s proximity to the state highway.
Broadway Holdings received site plan approval for the office building, to be constructed in a commercial zone, in March of last year.
“I’m paying taxes on [the properties],” Kennedy said. “I’d like to get [construction] moving.”
For insurance purposes and to prevent any vandalism or break-ins, the houses were boarded up at about the same point in time, Kennedy said.
Tenants that had previously rented the two homes had left willingly about nine months before, in June 2003, without the property owner serving eviction notices, according to Kennedy.
Shortly after receiving site plan approval, Kennedy and his sister Christine Hill purchased both houses from their parents, James and Valerie Kennedy, who had rented the houses to various tenants over a period of about 30 years.
Hill is also Kennedy’s business partner in Broadway Holdings.
Unanticipated delays prevented demolition and new construction from going ahead when seemingly interested parties expressed interest in purchasing the property from Broadway Holdings.
Those potential buyers expected to build their own office complexes according to the approved site plan, Kennedy explained.
None of the offers came through, however, and the building plans were set back about six months.
By that time, winter set in and some pre-demolition work could not be completed, he continued.
“The weather was getting in the way,” Kennedy said.
Although the houses might look unsightly, Kennedy maintains that he has been caring for the exterior over the past year. He knows that some residents have complained to the borough about the condition of the properties.
“I heard about it, but I’ve been mowing the lawn and shoveling snow from the sidewalks,” Kennedy said.
As a principal in Kennedy Consulting Engineers, also in Red Bank, Kennedy understands the residents’ issues, but says he just wants to follow the proper procedures.
If the homes were not closed off, someone could enter the homes unauthorized and get injured.
“It’s safer to have them boarded up,” Kennedy said.
The residential exterior should fit in with other structures in the neighborhood, a mix of homes and commercial buildings, Kennedy said.
Under the state’s Municipal Land Use law, site plan approvals are valid for two years from the time they are granted to an applicant.
This former rental home near Broadway and Halsey Street in West Long Branch is one of two houses, along with a detached garage, slated for demolition by the owner to make way for a new, two-story office building.