Best PR we've had in years. The Future Starts Here team will go down
in Asbury Park history as the greatest leaders this City has ever
had.
30 years of other City Councils left these guys with a challenge
that most thought couldn't be met. They have the City soaring,
turning huge names like Chetrit and Madison Marquette into believers.
Enjoy:
The tide's rising in Asbury Park
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 06/16/07
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The new investment partners in the Asbury Park oceanfront will soon
be sitting down with the City Council in hopes of negotiating
amendments to the most recent redevelopment agreement.
We're not enthusiastic about all of the proposed changes, including
plans for a 20-plus-story hotel just west of the Casino and
increased building heights on some of the Ocean Avenue condominiums
to accommodate more above-ground parking. But we're pleased about
the progress that has been made on the oceanfront and optimistic
that Asbury Partners, working with its partner Madison Marquette,
will succeed in bringing the beachfront fully back to life.
Not too long ago, we were more hopeful than optimistic. Today, the
evidence of renewal on the beachfront is everywhere: the gorgeous
interior restoration of the Paramount Theater, the construction of
the imposing North Beach condominiums north of the Berkeley Carteret
Hotel. The opening of the Salt Water Beach Cafe in the space
formerly occupied by Howard Johnson's and the beautiful array of
flowers outside it. The imminent restoration of the Arthur Pryor
band shell, named after Asbury Park's first superstar musician, at
the Fifth Avenue pavilion.
Other positive signs: the razing of the dilapidated Casino and the
beehive of activity to renovate it. The sprucing up of all the
pavilions and the tidying up of the grounds. The repaving of Ocean
Avenue. The new ownership of the Berkeley Carteret. The regular
police patrols on the boardwalk. The new condominiums by Wesley Lake.
Recall what the oceanfront looked like just two or three years ago.
The decaying Casino. The dilapidated boardwalk. The abandoned C-8
hulk. The depressing desolation. Viewed from that perspective, the
resurrection has been nothing short of miraculous.
Acknowledging the huge strides that have been made in no way
minimizes the challenges that lay ahead for the city as a whole,
which continues to be wracked with crime and poverty, and has a
school system bordering on the dysfunctional. The hope always has
been that a revived oceanfront, in conjunction with a revived
downtown, would help turn Asbury Park around. There are no
guarantees. But success in those two parts of the city is a
prerequisite to increasing the tax base, allowing for improved
municipal services, and developing the critical mass of concerned
citizens needed to achieve a full-blown, citywide renaissance.
Some naysayers seem to believe the role of the redevelopers is to
magically solve all of Asbury Park's problems. It is not. Their job
is to make a reasonable return on their investment in a socially
responsible way. It is the job of city officials, city residents and
those who desperately want to see Asbury Park succeed to make it
happen.
Madison Marquette and Asbury Partners are an important component of
the city's rebirth. They can help breathe new life into the city.
But they need help from everyone to make it flourish.
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