Chera: Historic stations will not be destroyed The DEP will send revised Takanassee plans to activist group BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer The contract purchaser of the Takanassee Beach Club property said last week that he plans to preserve the historic lifesaving station located on the Long Branch site. Takanassee Beach Club Plans call for the lifesaving station to be restored and remain intact at its current Ocean Avenue location, according to Isaac Chera, the principal of Takanassee Developers. "None of the historic structures are to be demolished," said Chera in a letter to the Atlanticville Nov. 28. "At the sole cost and expense of the developer, we will refurbish it, which is an improvement over its present condition," he said. The remaining two historic structures situated on the beach club property will also be preserved and relocated to another nearby location, Chera said. "The opponents [to the proposed project] argue that … vital historic structures will be demolished as part of the development and that the public will no longer have beach access," Chera said. "In fact, precisely the opposite is true. Our proposed development would … preserve a renovated lifesaving station at its existing location." He added, "Our plan creates a perpetual easement to the public to guarantee future access to the beach." Chera's application is currently pending before the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for a Coastal Area Facilities Review Act (CAFRA) permit to develop the 5- acre oceanfront site. Takanassee Developers is seeking to build 21 luxury condominiums and townhouses at the site. A group of local activists have formed to fight the development of the Takanassee site. The group, which is opposed to the redevelopment of the site, met with DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson Nov. 30. John Weber, of the Surfrider Foundation, said that the activist group stressed to Jackson that it is difficult for the community to keep abreast of changes and revisions to the proposed project. "One of our groups hired a professional engineer to review the plans at the DEP and the plans were reviewed on Nov. 16," Weber said. "If what the developer says is true, and he plans to preserve the one structure and move the other two, then that is not in the most recent set of plans reviewed last month. "If there is this whole new idea and plan to restore and move structures, that is a totally new situation that needs to get evaluated," he said. At the meeting, the DEP agreed to provide the activist group with future site plan revisions and communications as they are updated, according to DEP spokeswoman Darlene Yuhas. "The DEP is happy to provide that information because clearly there are people in the community interested in staying on top of the issue," Yuhas said. She added that the commissioner agreed to meet with the activist group and was at the meeting to "strictly" listen to concerns from community members. In addition to Weber, the following activists also attended the meeting: Dr. Bill Rosenblatt, chair of the Surfrider Foundation National Board of Directors; Rich Fernicola, local historian; Dr. Frank Esposito, history professor at Kean University; Leila Poch, president of the Elberon Voters and Property Owner's Association; Jeff Tittel of the Sierra Club and a representative from Congressman Frank Pallone Jr.'s office. "We have sent the commissioner over 700 e-mails in support of the DEP denying the CAFRA permit," Weber said. "It is really hard for the historical preservation community to follow the project. It seems the developer is getting an unlimited number of opportunities to revise plans and every time the plans change, it is very hard for groups like is to get our hands on the them," Weber said. The group elected attorney Michelle Donato, who is representing the Elberon property owners group, to be the delegate of the activist group to receive all updates from the DEP on the proposed project. "Now we have someone who will be getting all the information and we can be at the same level then," Weber said. "It was a good meeting," he said adding, "We are happy that they agreed to do this." The DEP is still accepting revised plans from Takanassee Developers and has not made a decision on the CAFRA permit as of deadline Tuesday, according to Yuhas. According to Chera, his company entered into a contract to acquire the Takanassee property three years and has been working with the DEP to understand environmental, beach access and historical issues that may affect the site. "As a result of helpful suggestions from DEP officials, we have made a great many modifications to our plan to incorporate elements of historical preservation and beach access," Chera said. "The request by the opposition that DEP reject our permit is inappropriate," he said. "The DEP is not a legislative body that can make law to allow or deny things it likes or dislikes, "The DEP is an administrative agency that is charged with reviewing permits to ascertain whether they comply with legal requirements and on this basis alone," he said. Chera also added that the proposed project will generate "significant" real estate taxes to Long Branch. The project will "raise millions of dollars in property tax, which would somewhat lower taxes for all other residents and would involve no expenditure of city or state funds," Chera said. To view a video of a rally held in November to save the Takanassee property, visit the following web link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8d NH8UOPH8.