Planner: Land swap will unite areas of city Talwar touts plan to provide access across beachfront BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer LONG BRANCH - The proposal by city officials to reopen portions of Ocean Avenue to vehicular traffic is part of a citywide plan to unite all neighborhoods of Long Branch, according to the city's principal planner. During a press conference held prior to the June 12 council meeting, planner Pratap Talwar said the master plan calls for the city to link open space, schools, playgrounds, parks and the oceanfront. "All of the planning from day one always had an emphasis that if the city is to be great for all of its residents and visitors here, then public space has to be great," said Talwar. "Access to all, usable to all," he added is the ultimate goal. In order to accomplish its plan, the city has submitted a proposal to the state Department of Environmental Development (DEP) to release portions of Ocean Avenue from its Green Acres inventory. Plans call for opening up the sections of Ocean Avenue to vehicular traffic including: Brighton Avenue to West End; Howland Avenue to South Bath Avenue; and Madison Avenue to Ocean Terrace. Although no specific plan is in place for the proposed open roadway, Talwar said that conceptual plans for the sections of Ocean Avenue now closed could include low-speed driving lanes, beach drop-off points, parking, handicap accessibility and walking and biking lanes. "Obviously, there are many approaches," Talwar said. "There is no design, only goals. The design cannot happen until agencies that have control over these properties agree. "This is not the time to discuss where a bench is," he said, adding, "We can only talk in principles. "Until the city knows if the state will allow [the properties to be removed from Green Acres], it is silly to waste taxpayer money to come up with a finalized plan," Talwar said. The conceptual plans call for opening the closed sections of Ocean Avenue to allow uninterrupted access across the beachfront from Seven Presidents Park to the Promenade, according to Talwar. Another aspect of the plan calls for Beachfront South developer K. Hovnanian to fund construction of a new and wider boardwalk along the waterfront, Talwar said. "We are not looking to open Ocean Avenue to make it a highway," Talwar said during the presentation. "We are looking to open some portions for drop-off and logical access. "We are looking in many ways to reduce the roadway and make it one-way and create walking and biking paths there." Another part of the plan includes providing handicap accessibility and parking and using the open roadway on the oceanfront as a beach drop-off point, according to Talwar. "Why not think of a place where people can get off at a side street, drop off their families and go park somewhere," Talwar said. Talwar further discussed connecting the oceanfront with other open spaces and recreational areas throughout the city. He explained that the city's public realm includes parks, natural areas, main streets, paths and public space. "There is an opportunity in the city to link open space access to the city, connect schools and playgrounds, connect public parks with the beach, create bike access from all neighborhoods to parks," Talwar said. "To draw neighborhoods to the water," he said, adding, "actual usership and actual use of this place." Every neighborhood in the city needs to be connected by a loop, according to Talwar, who said that plans call for designating some streets as bikeways. "You need to be able to access all the bike paths so that every neighborhood is connected by bike access points," Talwar said. "This type of approach would have to go street by street by street, to connect all the neighborhoods to open space. "Ocean Avenue, the Pier, the oceanfront, is clearly the image of the city," Talwar said, adding, "We are fully aware of its importance for all residents of this town." According to Talwar, 30,000 people used the beach in 2000 and in 2006, 73,158 people used the beach. "Long Branch's beach is desirable and its use is growing and it is likely it will continue to grow," he said. "The best-used places are where access is convenient and public parking is available. The least used beaches are those that are closed by Green Acres. "What can we do to improve this?" he asked. "Use the city's framework to try to improve public access to all beaches in a way that supports the use of the beach. "We want all of Ocean Avenue to be a great linear park as well as accessible as possible to all people, for those that live on the oceanfront and in the city as well as visitors," he said. City Business Administrator Howard H. Woolley said at the conference that the city will host several public discussion on the plan to address concerns or questions.