By Kenny Walter
Staff Writer
OCEAN TOWNSHIP- In an effort to attract businesses into vacant commercial properties, the township council is considering waiving certain permitting fees for new businesses based on certain stipulations.
Township Manager Andrew Brannen said that the council discussed possibly waiving certain fees during the March 24 Workshop meeting and presented a draft ordinance.
“We are going to seek approval from the Department of Community Affairs to waive some of the permitting fees for new businesses,” Brannen said.
Under the draft ordinance, no person will be charged a township construction fee or enforcing agency fee for any construction, alteration and improvement designed and undertaken solely to renovate a previously occupied and currently vacant commercial structure. This, however, does not include uniform construction code surcharge fees.
The property in question will have to be vacant for at least 12 months prior to the permit application to be eligible for the fee waiver. The waiver is limited to a building less than 5,000-square feet. Property owners are also not eligible for the waiver if the commercial property has outstanding property taxes or outstanding property maintenance violations.
Brannen said that the township will still have to collect the building fees that are owing to the state, but waiving the township fees should allow businesses an easier time of gaining approval and moving forward with projects.
“Depending on the size of the project, it can run $1,000,” Brannen said. “We are looking at the smaller projects.”
Brick Township, said Brannen, is the only municipality that he is aware of that passed a similar ordinance.