Carton Brewing’s a terrific business, a great supporter of the borough, and really, really nice people. Bu when they built their, often called “ugly”, building on First Avenue in Atlantic Highlands close to both a rather attractive elementary school AND a very attractive borough hall, they did not seem to care much about the esthetic impact on the borough’s main street. Parking
Now they want to make it prettier, with lots of glass which in itself might not be such a great idea in the first place, given the type of business it is … while they ask for a bunch more favors to enable them to change and introduce so many uses in the building to keep their business alive. They could just made it more attractive in the first place.
One of the things they’re going to need to accommodate all these different uses is lots more parking places than they now have. There have been some other great business owners in town who went to their defense, saying parking isn’t a problem and Carton’s new plans should be approved.
These are the things you hear when you attend planning and council meeting.
But then you also get to hear about parking problems in lots of other parts of town. Down by the Harbor primarily, mostly it seems, created by the success of Sea Streak.
You have to feel bad for that head boat captain who’s forced to pay thousands of dollars a year for his docking space in the harbor, yet he and the other head boats can’t even find a parking place for themselves to open the boat, let along get customers to fill it so they can pay those thousands every year. That captain pleaded at now two meetings, not just for himself, but for the other head boat captains as well.
Then you hear from neighbors on side streets who are finding problems parking in front of their houses because of overflows along First Avenue and the Harbor. You hear that the Catholic Church is allowing parking in their lot in a residential area for the Sea Streak crowd to be picked up with their shuttle bus. You hear about the homeowner who got some flak because he wanted to split his property still within the law, no variance needed, to allow another house to be built. Because that would mean more parking problems, folks said.
Most recently folks came into borough hall a bit late on a Wednesday night because so many wanted to be there, rightfully so, to praise and congratulate the police department, its chief, its new upgraded officers and everything good about the Department. They couldn’t find parking they said, so it took a little longer.
But a traffic expert hired by Carton said there’s nothing wrong with their wanting to change their business. Because while there might be problems elsewhere, they sure don’t exist up by that business.
The planning board agreed. They agreed to a bunch of variances without even having them read properly.
Then when their meeting bordered on possibly not meeting the laws, as brought out by a resident, the attorneys got together, and figured a way to ensure it would be right.
So now they’re trying again to be sure Carton Brewing can have all the approvals it needs to keep their business thriving in spite of not having anywhere near the parking places the engineer says they must have.
Borough officials, highly intelligent board members, other businesses have all gone out of their way to help Carton Brewing.
That’s not a bad idea helping really nice people to keep them in town. But really.
Doesn’t anybody learn?
Does everybody really think “this little bit more won’t hurt?
Doesn’t anybody see how what was once not even a problem, has blossomed into a major problem that is impacting so many parts of towns and irritating so many residents?
It started with a bit of a parking problem at the Harbor; heck, the Shore Casino couldn’t even find enough spaces when they had big weddings or major parties. Then it spread to the fishing boats. Then outside the harbor and onto the nearby avenue. Then the side streets. Then more side streets.
Now we’re up to yet another section of First Avenue and while the expert says there are no problems there the question remains … does the borough ALWAYS have to wait for a problem to exist before it comes to a solution?
Is there no planning ahead?
Is the planning board, and by its approval of all their variances, exist simply to give people the right to break the law legally in spite of how it impacts the majority of taxpayers?
As one woman said, “it used to be a nice little small town …”
