Knockdown City

There was a steady drumbeat of the homes of the 1920s-1970s coming down and new homes replacing them. Low borrowing rates and a rising market allowed investors to snap up Sea Girt’s inventory. Some investors made deals with older residents which allowed them to stay in their homes until they were ready to go. Investors partnered with realtor-design-build partnerships.

Trenton Blvd. resident and real estate agent Denise Dreyer had developed a great following since 2005, and in an extremely competitive market, was at or near the top of the sales leaderboards. Her husband Wayne, was an effective local builder, which also helped her generate transactions. Building near the ocean often requires special knowledge and sometimes CAFRA approvals that give local builders and architects an advantage. Gregory Rice, who started in his brother Christopher’s Washington Blvd. architecture office, was also able to leverage those connections to find buyers for the Sea Girt Market. He was another of the busiest local agents.

Anthony Garofalo, served multiple roles. He was both a real estate agent and president of Shore Home Builders. He sometimes bought and built, other times he was an agent. At this time he was focused on Sea Girt and his sign was on lots all over town.

There was a formula that many of these groups followed. Buy properties yourself or with investors. Offer generous terms, sometimes no fees to give comfort to sellers. Demo homes, large lots were split, and new builds maximized square footage, and amenities, and then were sold by the real estate agents who were often affiliated with the builders.

Investors, builders, realtors all made money, and prices on new homes on 50 foot lots exceeded $3 million. There appeared to be plenty of demand for new homes in the community. Sea Girt offered North Jersey downsizers lower taxes, and the new homes were loaded with features.

Long-time residents complained that ‘bulk building’ was negatively impacting the charm and quality of the community. Tree cover, permeable space, and sight lines were reduced. Yards often had pools and garage cabanas. Construction was more disruptive on the small lots. A few basement excavations collapsed the land on neighboring properties. The issues lingered after the new house completion. Replacing grandma’s 4-bedroom bungalow with a 7-bedroom home impacted summer parking.

Lyn Miller Ward, whose family dates to the 1930s in Sea Girt, got 180 signatures on suggested modifications to the master plan and suggested ordinances limiting heights, changing setbacks and counting impermeable space.

Council debated solutions to balance property owner rights and address the concerns. They acknowledged that they needed a more effective plan for trees. Ordinances refined rules regarding placement of generators and pool equipment as well as revisions to garages, height, lot coverage and permeable land. But none of it stopped the new builds.

There was a side benefit to all the building. Replacing old Sea Girters with much larger, more expensive homes improved the total tax base. Mayor Farrell had kept his promise to curb spending. Capital projects came in under budget and total tax bills were reduced, even though council could not directly impact the school or county portion. The Borough surplus rose to over $1.2 million. Sea Girt had never been in better financial shape.

Tight lots sometimes caused neighbor problems

The effort to leave the county library system finally made to to the ballot box. Lisa Luke, the new librarian, a former marketing expert, was very clear in multiple presentations how an independent library would benefit the community. She and Councilwoman Anne Morris discussed the need for an addition to the space either way, and the referendum passed 580-421.

The Parker House became a point of contention. The New York Times wrote an article in 2017 titled “Who needs the Hamptons when you have the Parker House”. It extolled the rite of passage of meeting in “God’s Basement” in the summer. Social media promotion exploded, and 23,000 followed the bar on Instagram alone. The venue surged in popularity with lines around the block.

Uber and other services created the biggest problem. Rideshares were stopping all over the neighborhood with pickups and drop-offs. Wally and other taxi services paid a fee. They knew the police and the expectations. Uber drivers were unfamiliar with the drill. Police Chief Kevin Davenport wanted the council to move the drop-off zone to the Oceanfront near the pavilion. While it gave order along First Avenue, a county road, this angered neighbors up Beacon and on Ocean. They complained about the loss of 11 prime beach parking spots, and noted that they did not purchase a home near a bar, but were getting the traffic consequences. The Mayor and council countered that the Ubers were logically winding up there anyway.

A 2017 NYTimes article and social media blew up attendance at the popular spot.

Spring Lake reached out over potential school consolidation, 40 years after asking Sea Girt students to leave. Both communities and others in Southern Monmouth were experiencing enrollment declines. Even more troubling was the shifting demographics. The vast majority of those fancy new homes in Sea Girt were bought by empty nesters, grandparents, or for summer use only. 10 of Sea Girt’s 141 K-8 students were tuition-based from other communities, but the number had to rise as younger families were priced out of homes in town. The birth of Sea Girt babies reached its lowest since 1917. For now, the School Board politely rejected the advances. The stellar performance of the students and the lack of huge school tax increases allowed the issue to simmer.