A Letter To The Editor From Peter Hagemeyer

A Letter to the Editor from Peter Hagemeyer

Last week I attended a Point Pleasant Borough Council meeting where many residents expressed concern with the congestion caused by parking (or lack there of) at the new restaurant Half Moon Point. The residents in the surrounding area have had a significant blow to their quality of life, safety, and property values.

I have studied the situation and know that many people expressed concerns over parking and traffic as far back as December 2015, when the Half Moon Point plans were up for approval.

There are two ordinances in town that determine parking requirements; one bases parking spots per dining square footage, and the other bases parking per bar stool. In the Council’s rush to approve this bar, they ignored the requirement to address the bar stools (a minimum of 40 stools) and the significant square footage associated with the bar area.

The additional seating from the dining area and bar stools should have easily doubled the parking requirements for Half Moon Point. However, the restaurant was not required to make any new parking spaces or arrangements for parking elsewhere.

How did the town’s administration get away with this? Easy - when you have a single party governance you have no dissenting views to answer to. You just follow your boss’s lead. This has to change.

Many of the outstanding issues could have been avoided if the administration listened to the concerns raised through the variance process, a process which is designed to protect property and quality of life for our residents.

It has been 18 months since the plans were approved for this bar, and 18 months since the mayor promised at the planning board that traffic studies would be done. When I heard at last week’s meeting that the mayor promised action and studies, I’m not sure those words were anything but empty promises. The mayor claims they have made significant strides to address the residents' concerns, however based upon what I witnessed on Tuesday's meeting, the issues still are present and nearby residents are not satisfied with any progress of sorts.

It is time for change, and time for alternate voices on the town council. That's why I, Peter Hagemeyer and fellow candidate Derek Reichenbecher are running for council this November.

Image: Patch file photo.