Tomorrow, the crucial Planning Board meeting will be taking place at Town Hall, to vote on the proposed expansions of the Georgian Court University, Planning Board member Shuey Schmuckler confirmed to TLS. The university is seeking approvals to add 1,200 parking spots, new dormitories, a soccer field, and entrances to the college at Cedarview Ave and at Case Road, as first reported in May.
Prior to the last meeting, an audio message (below) was sent out requesting residents of the 14th Street, Case Road and Forest Avenue areas to attend tomorrow night’s meeting.
“Hundred of cars will endanger our pedestrians and our children waiting for their school buses”, the prerecorded audio message said. “Our lawyers feel a large show of support is extremely important”, it said.
At that October 19th meeting, it was announced that the vote would be posponed until December 21st.
Since then, there has been several hearings on the plan.
Schmuckler tells TLS the public will have a chance to speak tomorrow’s meeting. TLS.
What about the BMG traffic? Why is it that the only traffic that matters is GCC. What about the expansion of other schools? Doesn’t that matter or is it just GCC? Just live and let live like you expect everyone to do for you. Stop creating animosity in the town. Consider who sent the message out and why.
I find it quite perplexing how we put Yeshivos and Shuls in so many residential areas and are never concerned about traffic. Now when GCU wants to add parking this is suddenly an issue… come on folks… there is enough to protest without inventing things.
Board members should not be commenting on issues that they sit on, nor should they be asking residents to attend a meeting. Personally, the traffic on route 9 was creating was greed and past poor mistakes. This should be approved by the planning board.
Shuls and yeshivos in residential neighborhood service the residents of that neighborhood, hence no complaints. GCC on the other hand does not service residential neighborhoods in Lakewood.
How about the school on Massachusetts Ave. that was the poorest planning allowed … show me how they get school buses in to pick up students?? I went down during the school let out and my question is “what were the board members on when they approve that mess???” Parking is the number one issue in this town and now you want to deny GCC a parking lot!!!! You have got to be kidding!!
just make sure there is whats needed.by code like u guys should allways do. remember you guys r public servants
cell phone towers r also needed in a growing ton yet when ppl complain abt the dangers of that its ok but to complain abt gc thats a chilul hashem and what not?
I don’t live in lakewood, so I don’t really have a full grasp of the local politics. However, we should be sensitive to the fact that they were here first. As pointed out in the comments above, we are more than willing to build our mosdos wherever we feel like. We are perceived (rightly or wrongly) to be insensitive to local communities when we try to build yeshivos wherever and run up against varying zoning laws and local ordinances. Again, we live in golus, it is not “our town”, and preserving good neighborly relations is of utmost importance. Countless takannos are m’shum aivah and darkei shalom
Please take into consideration that GCC is not servicing the need of our growing community. By allowing the proposed plans to be approved would basically be adding fuel to fire. Our roads cannot handle any more, especially all those coming from afar, We do not benefit at all from this.( The Strand and the Blue Claws also do not benefit our town economically instead it probably cost us. )The approval for this massive expansion and proposed new entrances
would not alleviate the traffic especially if that many more students will be using cars,
I might as well move to MANHATTAN or BORO PARK
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G C U sets up every thing by law & safty, why go and fight!!!
i just want to point out on thing u cant compare bmg to ggc bec bmg is a local collage for 40% or so of Lakewood residences gcc brings nothing to Lakewood as far as jobs or education for most of Lakewood if not all! so for them to open new roads in quiet neighborhoods where there is no gain whatsoever is unfair if ur in a community u must give to the community not just take…..
There is no legitimate reason to oppose this , GC is one of the few institutions that lakewood can be proud to have within its borders, those who do not want this just want this township for themselves and no other reason . There is no legal reason this should not be granted. If traffic is the issue then that same iassue must be applied to any and all who are looking to expand their facilities.
#12 you might be right if all or majority of students were from Lakewood.
For all those of you who are recommending that we keep quiet about this- how about think of the families living on Cedarview Ave, and Case Rd!! Did you even stop to think about how the peace, quiet, and safety of their neighborhoods is being compromised?!? If you have the traffic from a 1200 car lot exiting onto 14th street it will be extremely dangerous, and will completely change the dynamics of the current traffic patterns.
Ignore the promoters of equality for GCC. Remember they don’t pay any taxes towards the township nor do they produce any commerce. They are using ours, the taxpayer’s, resources.
#2 Don’t pretend to be part of the Yeshivah community. Torah Truth indeed. LOLOLOLOL
The thing that I find most perplexing is why GCC insists on staying in Lakewood knowing that expansion will cause hard ships on the surrounding residents. They could sell their property for a pretty penny(actually the church’s property) and move into Jackson where there are acres and acres of land near main traffic arteries.
QUOTE “Ignore the promoters of equality for GCC. Remember they don’t pay any taxes towards the township nor do they produce any commerce. They are using ours, the taxpayer’s, resources.
People in Glass Houses should not throw stones!!!
There are over 700 tax exempt institutions here in lakewood and the majority of them are Orthodox ,so you should be the last to complain about those who do not contribute toward the tax bade in this town!
They have been here long before most who are complaing and have a legitimate right to expand on their own property .
How is ok for some to build schools were evr they want with no concern to those who are not orthodox ,yet you complain about this Unniversity want to expand on their own land . can you say Hypocrite!!!
There wouldn’t be a problem driving to the new parking lots IF YOU hadn’t built so many houses and created the traffic and parking problems first! But that’s OK right!
Quote “Shuls and yeshivos in residential neighborhood service the residents of that neighborhood, hence no complaints. GCC on the other hand does not service residential neighborhoods in Lakewood.”
That is irrelivant to the issue!
To # 15/16,
Maybe you should move to Jackson or Howell to get away from all the expansion and bullets
Yidden, I totally understand the residents. Their lives will be turned upside down. Until they know they had a quiet residential block, and now their quiet blocks are being turned into Rt 9 with all the traffic and parking and noise that comes with it.
Yidden, do we realize that we’ve done the exact same thing when we build our mosdos and Yeshivas and shuls on quiet blocks, when the neighbors don’t want? Every time a shul is built, it turns a quiet residential block into grand central station of the area. We turn over the lives of all the neighbors. We take away their parking spots, we block their mailboxes, we bring the noise, and we just don’t care. When someone complains, we say “anti-semitism”.
As a community, we need to decide whether or not we will change our attitude. If we will continue to destroy beautiful quiet blocks and neighborhoods, then we have no right to stop GC from doing the same.
Logic, my dear Watson!
GOOD POINT #5
this is a disgrace to the american people. why should one religion be given all of the freedom in the world to do whatever they want to do and whenever they want to do it, but no one else can. it’s ashame!!!
17 and 19. Anonymous, suits you. Bullets? What are you talking about? GCC has bullets? BTW you might not know this but I guess the secret is gonna have to come out of the bag. I didn’t build anything. Not even an ant hill. Shhhhh, maybe it won’t go public.
I will admit you do have a point there. All those houses that bring in all those taxes. Hmmm. Who’s gonna pay for the public schools? You? Do you even own a house? Who will pay for the public services such as the police, whom I do believe are busier with the gangs and drug trade than the traffic, although the traffic probably earns them more money. First aid? Fire department. You got it. GCC!!! Yay!
Sir, remove the hatred from your heart and perhaps you will get your twenty-twenty vision back.
17. Why don’t we do a little research and see who is the biggest recipients of tax exemption in Lakewood. Although you will find the Yeshiva to be second, they won’t be even close to the church who is first. Secondly consider who pays the lions share of taxes in Lakewood and uses the least of its services. The Orthodox community.
17
“so you should be the last to complain about those who do not contribute toward the tax bade in this town!”
Don’t know about you but I pay a big lump of cash for tax. So, no I am not tax exempt.
“They have been here long before most who are complaing and have a legitimate right to expand on their own property .”
They can expand on their property to their hearts content. YOU are trying to make this a religious issue. No one is forbidding them from doing what they wish on their property. We are trying to stop them from destroying a quite area of Lakewood and making it thoroughfare.
“How is ok for some to build schools were evr they want with no concern to those who are not orthodox ,yet you complain about this Unniversity want to expand on their own land .”
You sound like a bigot sir. To my knowledge no one has ever protested an opening of a school. Jewish or not. In fact (something the church doesn’t want you to know about) the school on 5th and Lakewood wanted to expand in a predominently Orthodox neighborhood and needed a variance which the Yeshiva community supported strongly. I don’t know if that will convince you but ….. whatya gonna do?
” can you say Hypocrite!!!””
Actually, no I can’t. Too many letters. One thing I did notice though, your spelling is pretty bad but that is ONE word you spelled perfectly. I wonder.
To all people who live near GCU. What are you personally doing to make Lakewood a better place? HOw are you benefiting Lakewood? WHat are you adding to Lakewood besides taking up space? If you are adding nothing to Lakewood, perhaps you should think about moving out.
GCC was here prior to BMG . Both institutions have the right to remain in this community. If GGC moves to Jackson as someone suggested, what will Lakewood do? Demolish historic buildings as the Casino & former Gould Mansion.
I have attended programs at GCC: A historic tour of the mansion, casino, Japanese garden, a Chagall program, & as a child my parents brought me to the Jan Pierce concert.
GCC should be given their request.
Say what you want, I who doesn’t live in that neighborhood will be there tomorrow to show my support for that pristine quiet neighborhood. This is America, they have every right to oppose the new roads. With no lighting or sidewalks it is a horrible idea and inconsiderate of the college to bring traffic thru those streets.
To 27 – Lakewood Citizen — GCC has a lot of land and many historic buildings. The towns history means nothing to most of the residents of Lakewood. Therefore the land can be used to build many townhouses with such narrow streets a fire truck can’t get down, The houses could fill the lots as the people living there will use “on-street” parking with no need for a driveway.
I am having a hard time understanding this. So GCU wants to add parking spaces and a dormitory and this is somehow going to create “Hundred of cars will endanger our pedestrians and our children waiting for their school buses”? But the argument is that its ok for one religion to build as many schools as they want to possibly endanger their OWN children but if another religion expands only ONE school its an attack on “our pedestrians and our children” people? This is a very dangerous argument which is leading down a dark, dark path.
I see the scoop did not like my writing the truth and have deleted my comment. Why did BMG use the new ordinance, college campus, for the former Princeton Ave School, and why can’t GCU go the same route?
to all: a minor correction please. the seniors pay the lions share of taxes to Lakewood. Our school taxes are 57% with no children in school and no township services outside of garbage pick-up
Hey! You built a school down the block from me, and yes I complained but you called me an anti-Semite. You got your school and I got YOUR school buses! It didn’t serve me but you shoved it down my throat. All I am saying is you have to share and respect others or you will never have peace, just hard feelings!!
Its not the parking and not the dormitory. Its the entrances from quiet residential streets! Can’t people get it? We keep hearing” they want to make parking and you want to deny them?” If you have no clue what’s going on then that’s a good slogan to say to get people riled up! But the commentators here have no clue what the issues are! A dorm is fine! The campus is huge! Does it HAVE to be 25 feet away from someones. Private bedroom windows? There is no there place to put it in this huge campus? Is it such abig deal to move it back a few feet to be considerate to a neighbor? Do we NEED extra entrances on narrow residential blocks that when you have cars parked don’t have room for 2 way traffic? These minor thing to the college thar are MAJOR things to hundreds of “neighbors” are what the college is ignoring. They are demonstrating that they couldn’t care less about the neighbors. But all we hear is how WE have to be “nice to our neighbors” but THEY don’t have to give a hoot about us?
Most of the comments pro and anti are correct. The one major issue is that BMG expansion and the housing explosion is servicing all those physically residing in Lakewood.whereas the GCC expansion
is accomodating residents from everwhere else not Lakewood..If GCC location was similar to Ocean County College it would hopefully not have caused the present uproar.
What about the once quiet neighborhood and streets in raintree? Now there are shuls up there and parking on both sides of the street it’s ridiculous!!!!! But that’s ok because it’s for YOUR community right? It’s GCU’s property let them do what they want or I bet you’ll find more people showing up to your zoning meetings to oppose them.
to #33:
The argument is, that its causing an unsafe hazard to “our pedestrians and our children” for GCU to expand.If you want to use the argument that BMG has a right to expand and clog the town, than you are saying its ok to create a hazard to “our pedestrians and our children” So as long as that HAZARD benefits “our pedestrians and our children”. That then is hypocritical and religously biased. Especially when laced with overtones suggesting that GCU move out of Lakewood. What then would be put in its place on that land? I doubt it would be a park for the children, removing the traffic problem!
Hey #33 when GCC was built it was in an area like OCC, think about it.
Why dont you get it folks? This is a General Development Plan that the university is subject to. The public has every right to voice their opinion and the Board is required to make sure it makes good planning sense. The 14th Street neighborhood is not causing any uncalled for uproar, rather they have hired competant attorneys to represent their cause, in a civil manner. You think its a good idea for additional roadways through a quiet neighborhood…no problem, hire an attorney to come tonite and prove your point, or come yourself and voice your opinion, which you and all the residents being affected are entitled to. This has nothing to do with BMG, religion or who came to town first.
I have nothing to add that wasn’t pretty much said already.But still as a Yid in Golus I feel I should voice my opinion in support of GCU’s right to expansion much as I personally will be inconvenienced by it.
In general I’m not saying what is right and what isn’t but we must all consider the following point: With all the bluster about Lakewood “Ihr H’Torah” etc we have not done a good job causing the “Brios” to say “Ashrei Ploney S’lomed Torah…Asrei Raboy Shlimdoy Torah’ and the Shem shmoyim to be Misahav al Yedonu. And unfortunately this may be an understatement.
#41. Remember its two pills every 4 hours washed down with a glass of water. Unfortunately you forgot to take them this morning.
As someone who lived on a quiet block only to have a development shoved down my throat and turning our world upside down by those developers and builders living in quiet blocks near the proposed parking lots, I can only feel joy and a sense of justice that they might understand what they make others feel with their greed.
I feel bad for their neighbors though.
But hey, thats life.
All the money recently spent on traffic studies and how to improve the traffic flow will need to be redone .
people, get over yourselves! georgian court university has always gone over and beyond to cater to the residents. firstly, this application is only a conceptual plan that would be carried out during the next ten years. its like a courtesy review. and secondly, denying the application will only delay the inevitable, as georgian court will only appeal and get the decision overturned, thus costing the township in legal fees. go check out what they plan on doing before you decide it’s a bad idea and then really think to yourself “is this worth getting worked up over?”
To Skeet says:
Your comments are right on target. Just look arround this town ,how can anybody use the argument about causing traffic congestion . if that were the case stop all building right now because its all part of the problem you want a city you got it