The following is an ‘Ask The Mayor’ question submitted to TLS, and the Mayor’s response. Email your questions for the Mayor to [email protected].
Question:
Thanks for your hard work on behalf of all Lakewood residents!
Just wondering – who has the authority/power to add a street in Lakewood where none existed before? May the zoning board give approval for that?
This is in reference to the zoning board meeting last night, where the zoning board told an applicant for a new development off Route 9 (698 River Avenue) to add a full street instead of a proposed emergency access road due to the amount of units in the proposed development, which would necessitate a second exit/entrance.
Only issue? This proposed emergency access road/full street would cut into Cedar Court – a fully developed street – and actually cut through an existing home. Is that legal? Can a street be added at whim? Can a street be added with no traffic study?
Please advise,
A curious neighborhood resident
Response from Mayor Coles:
Good afternoon,
I looked into the situation you are referring to. There was no street created or proposed last night. The State Department of Transportation requires 2 means of entry & exit from this parcel. No formal plans have been submitted yet. The conversation you refer was about whether or not the board would allow a narrow emergency exit as opposed to a compliant paved street for when an application is submitted. They said they want a compliant street. If an application for this is submitted, and the applicant includes a new street in it, the neighborhood would be noticed so they can make their feelings known and offer input to any proposed plans.
Stay safe
Ray
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The developer should be forced to open the new proposed street onto williams st. and summit ct. not another cul de sac off of rt 9.
Anyone who lives in the entire vicinity should fight for this once the plans are submitted.
Please no!! that will turn our quite streets into highways. Re the question to the Mayor, I think the question should be whom to you need to take out to dinner to get things denied? Or, do we need to buy someone a nice car to gain equal ground to the developers? Who would that be?
The augment of building more to make housing more affordable has been disqualified as the majority of home sales in Lakewood are to newcomers. Although everyone is more than welcome and appreciated here. Building more is not bringing the price down, as a matter of fact it just pushed prices up by causing more demand. Had no one built so much there would never have been a demand from Brooklynites. In my humble opinion there should be deed restrictions limiting the sale of new developments to residents of Lakewood (5 years or something). I know this sounds democratic, but I think it is only fair that Lakewood residents should be the ones who gain from their sacrifice, in the current setup as residents we sacrifice our quality of life for zero benefit.
Your response (if appropriate) will be appreciated.
Who is it that you want to respond?
If you want to hear the mayor’s take on this, consider submitting your own question. I am not sure if he reads the comments here, but he does see the emails sent to him through The Lakewood Scoop.
Don’t waste your time, this will be approved like all the rest were, it is an uphill battle to try to stop any of these developments, the board members won’t trouble themselves to go down and see for themselves the neighborhood and the street. How a small Street like cedar Court will be impacted by this.it will look the same like what they did to the nearby Henry Street which is no longer a viable Street.
Good luck.
Hey Planning Board, NO MORE cul-de-sac. We need through streets. We need wider streets. Less housing more streets.
omni court and Evian court tried fighting the development in the their forest, after much pressure and monetary offers to the local shul, a agreement was made with the developers, but unfortunately it has not been kept or enforced. My advice to the neighborhood is to fight it to the end, you can not trust any agreement.
Noticed that the main question wasn’t answered? That question being “WHO HAS THE POWER TO APPROVE A NEW STREET?”
As in, anyone who lives/drives in the neighborhood can tell you that Cedar Ct. is backed up on daily basis – often all the way down to Williams St.
Add to that the fact that if this street is approved, at least 3 houses on Cedar Ct. opposite to the proposed opening of this street would lose their parking due to the simple fact that Cedar Ct. is so narrow. Narrow as in 2 cars can barely pass each other safely if even ONE car is parked on sidewalk. If 2 cars on parked on opposite sidewalks, only ONE car can pass between them. Proof? Cedar Ct. isn’t striped; it can’t support 2 proper lanes + parking/a shoulder. Why NOT add a street to an already crazy situation, right?
One more really fun detail: The proposed street is only THREE houses into Cedar Ct – and a street right off the 9 as well. An accident waiting to happen? That’s an understatement. It’s a TRAGEDY waiting to happen.
As an area resident pointed out, Kimball hospital is close nearby. Seems the developers are happy to know that there’s somewhere to send all the victims of the car crashes in all directions waiting to happen…the Chelm moshol coming to life!
So, that leads one to wonder again:
1. WHO has the power to approve/deny new streets that are drawn up at the whim of mercenary, heartless developers (who live in huge McMansions in Toms River, btw so they don’t suffer the Lakewood traffic) who draw streets like your child draws lines on her kindergarten drawing?
2. Is it REALLY legal to buy a house that’s just 3 houses into the block, and just decide you want to put down a proper 2-way street there? Or is there a higher authority whom town residents can talk to when such harebrained schemes are planned with no forethought?
Area residents – keep the conversation going. Get anyone you can think of involved if you want a neighborhood you can actually live in…
mishiga in gantzin? more building near rt 9??