Atlantic Highlands Stay Informed

   Stay Informed

It’s show time again Thursday night in Atlantic Highlands when the Planning Board continues hearing the Kalian application to build that second apartment complex on First Avenue where Mike’s Deli is now.  Stay Informed

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. and every resident, regardless of where he lives in town, should be present either in person or on zoom and become informed with all the details of what is being offered and what the planning board will do about it. Stay Informed

The borough has strict building regulations for a purpose. When the Master Plan for the borough was designed, and the laws made for what can go where and how it should look, it was for a reason. It is to keep the appearance of the town the way people who live here want it.

Builders who want to deviate from that plan must show a reason why it is necessary to do something “a little bit different” and still be able to build it. That’s what a variance is.

Only the planning board can grant a variance, that is, sufficient reason to go against the law that keeps buildings in Atlantic Highlands in the style the overall plan calls for.

Every town has a planning board, every town grants variances, some for very small reasons like building a porch on a house that is a foot closer to the property line than it should be. Then others request more variances, to either build too much on too small a piece of property, offer rooms, or parking spaces, or building heights, or other reasons.

So this is where the Planning Board needs the help of the residents. These are big decisions to make, deciding whether a builder is presenting something good enough, important enough, beneficial enough for the town to go against the Master Plan.

If they can prove some things are good and will benefit the town, and not cause any problems, then the planners may grant a variance, a deviation from the law. It’s up to residents to be informed, know exactly what the plans are, think of how it will impact them, their view of the town, their safety, their health or any other reason.

By attending the planning board meeting, residents can see the exhibits, hear the ideas, see how it impacts themselves, and be informed. They can give their own opinion, they can say whether they think going against the rule is worth the change it will create. Stay Informed

So, Thursday night, the hearing continues for what at this point would be the second tallest building in the borough, about a block from the entrance to the borough. Right next to what is probably the third tallest building in the borough. Stay Informed

The builders are willing to make changes, so they don’t need so many variances. They’re willing to hear the suggestions of the engineer and the planning board; in fact, they will probably have some different ideas Thursday night from what they presented last week. That’s because some wise members of the planning board and the borough’s very sharp Engineer Rohmeyer, asked lots of questions, made lots of suggestions and are working with the builder so he can perhaps make adjustments that are more in keeping with the law.

It’s an important meeting to attend. It probably won’t even be the last meeting of this particular project. But once approvals are given, and variances are granted, it isn’t easy to come back and say this is not a good thing for this town. Stay Informed

Be informed. Learn what’s going up on a small piece of property for the size of the building. When you get the chance, give your opinion. Let the Planning Board members know your concerns. Find out for yourself how many variances are too many? How many ways should a builder be able to go against the law and still keep Atlantic Highlands looking like the people of Atlantic Highlands want it to look like.

Stay informed.    That’s the only way good things happen.