County Authorizes Appraisal of Bradley Cove

Monmouth County is exploring whether or not the Bradley Cove section of Asbury Park’s North End Beach can be preserved.

The Board of Recreation Commissioners agreed to fund an appraisal of the property during its regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 24 following a call to action from the Jersey Shore Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. The county Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a resolution supporting the commissioners’ move during its regular meeting at the on Thursday, Oct. 27.

Jersey Shore Chapter Chair Joe Woerner said he was pleased with the county’s decision to take the lead in exploring the possible preservation of the property.

“This spot is one of the last open spaces on the coast. I wanted to thank the commissioners for moving forward with the first step. We don’t know what the outcome of the appraisal will be but we thank them for considering that,” Woerner said during the public comments portion of the freeholder meeting.

The property is part of the Asbury Park Waterfront Redevelopment Plan, with the iStar Financial Group possessing development right to the land.

When discussions about initiating the preservation process began, the Board of Recreation Commissioners wanted Asbury Park the finance the appraisal; however, the city could not incur the expense in its current budget and City Manager Terence Reidy requested that the county consider the undertaking, according to Freeholder Lillian Burry.

The freeholder board received nearly 500 letters urging the county to take the lead in the preservation effort, Freeholder Amy Mallet said.

“This could be the last opportunity to preserve a piece of the waterfront for public use,” Mallet said.

Andrea Bazer, attorney for the county, cautioned that if iStar does not grant access to the property, the appraisal would not be able to move forward.

“We don’t own the property--Asbury owns it, iStar has the development rights. Without their permission, we can’t enter to do the appraisal,” Bazer said.