“You’re using the most valuable land in the borough of Atlantic Highlands for boat storage…that is irrational and it really should end, resident Joshua Leinsdorf told the Mayor and Council at this week’s meeting of the governing body.
Yet even after reminding the borough leaders he has previously provided them with the codicil that points out the terms under which the state of New Jersey leased the land to the borough, stipulating it be used for recreation purposes only, Mayor Lori Hohenleitner simply said, “thank you” and moved on to the next resident during the public portion of the meeting, Minutes later, the entire council unanimously approved the on land boat storage rates for the 2026-2027 year.
Nor did the mayor or any member of council comment, ask a question or show any reaction to the resident’s statement that the proposed rates for leasing space at the harbor is “eye opening,” “shocking.”
Leinsdorf’s comments came since the resolution to approve harbor lease rates for the 2025- 2026 year was on the agenda; minutes after his reminder of the agreement signed with the state in 1942, the resolution approving the rates was unanimously approved by the governing body.
Besides Leinsdorf’s comments, the resolution itself, as unanimously approved, said the Harbor Commission submitted its winter storage rates at its August 5 meeting and after discussion presented it to the governing body.
In fact, there was no discussion at the Harbor Commission meeting on August 5. The resolution, which was not provided to the public in advance of that meeting, was on the agenda for approval by the commission. The chairman called for any comments or discussion from the commissioners, but there was none. Nor did the public comment, presumably because they had not seen the resolution.
Council representative Alyson Forbes, who is the borough representative on the Harbor Commission, was present at the Harbor meeting and voted for approval of the rates; she was absent from this week’s council meeting.
Leinsdorf’s comments on the “eye opening” new rates referred to the high cost of having boats, either in the water or stored on land, at the harbor, recognized as one of the finest along the entire East Coast.
The new rates, as unanimously approved, range from $162 per foot for a berth up to 26 feet in length without electric to $27,250 a year for the head boats docked on Pier 1 between March 1, 2026 and February 28, 2027. Winter storage is set at $77 per foot, plus tax with sailboat owners having to provide their own cradle. Land storage is also offered to non-tenants at $65 per foot.
Persons or companies wanting to use harbor space for either filming, recording or parking will be charged $1,000 a day, according to the 11-page resolution.
More important than the money the Harbor Commission is making with all the land storage and parking, Leinsdorf reminded the governing body, is the agreement made by Mayor Thomas McVey and Governor A. Harry Moore on February 4, 1940.
That was the document signed by both state and local officials in which the state gave the land which is now the harbor, its parking lot and buildings, to the borough for “the exclusive use as “a public park, highway or place for public use, resort and recreation.”
Several months ago, Leinsdorf had presented a copy of the 1942 agreement to Borough attorney Marguerite Schaefer during a council meeting, pointing out at that time that the harbor was leased to the borough specifically for recreational purposes and not parking.
Leinsdorf told the council at this week’s meeting that in addition to the “eye opening” and “shocking” rates, the borough has raised taxes for open space yet is using “the most valuable land” in the borough for parking. “It’s irrational and it really should end,” he said.
Tired of Facebook? You can also Find ViniVidiScripto on the Following Platforms …
Irrational Irrational Irrational Irrational Irrational
A big change like chasing out the stored boats and parked vehicles would be a huge revenue loss for Atlantic Highlands.
What did he propose as an alternative use for this land?