Belmar Planning Board Will Investigate Ocean Ave. Redevelopment Area Possibilities

What the rebuilt Belmar's concessions and gazebos would look like is undecided, and the borough has tasked the planning board with investigating whether an outside developer could help decide.

A recently passed council resolution labeled Ocean Avenue a redevelopment area, specifically, the property from the ocean to the Ocean Avenue curb all owned by the borough.

Destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, the previous concessions, pavilions and other structures along the waterfront were demolished.

Belmar has begun rebuilding its boardwalk, but does not expect to replace the beachfront buildings in time for a Memorial Day opening. Temporary trailers are expected to replace concessions. Buildings may be up for 2014's tourist season, Doherty said.

But whether the borough should undertake the rebuilding and ownership of the process or involve a third party, such as interested development corporations, will be investigated by the Belmar Planning Board.

The planning board will prepare a report in the coming weeks and the council will debate on how to proceed based on the planning board's recommendations, Doherty said.

The property involved is all the borough's, not privately owned. The borough is not looking to use condemnation or imminent domain for private property, nor does any local ordinance exist giving the borough the powers to do so, said the mayor.

"No private property is involved in this," Doherty said.

The main motivation behind the redevelopment area is to open the borough up to the possibility of allowing a private developer to come up with plans for rebuilding the oceanfront, Doherty said.

In order to explore that possibility, one of the steps is to have council proclaim an area in need of redevelopment.

The resolution allows the Belmar Planning Board to conduct an investigation and determine whether the area within the Borough bordered to the north by the northern edge of the roadbed of Second Avenue; to the south by Lake Como; to the east by the Atlantic Ocean; and to the west by the westerly edge of the roadbed of Ocean Avenue is in need of redevelopment.