Odd NJ condo plan will leave one old house standing in the middle

In a scene reminiscent of the movie “Up,” Asbury Park is considering a condo development that would encompass an entire two-block radius, minus one house. And no one really knows why.

According to Jersey Digs, K. Hovnanian submitted an application for a condo project that would revitalize two separate lots into one project called The Baltic and The Aegean on prime Asbury Park real estate.

According to the plan, both buildings, 3 stories each over garage parking spanning two blocks along Second and Third avenues, would house 44 condos and be separated by one single-family home. If you’ve ever seen the "Up" you can picture this.

I actually read about this proposal in Jersey Digs last year and have been following the story to see if and when this homeowner would give in.

Back in the days when Long Branch was using eminent domain to clear out all the houses and make way for what is now Pier Village, people fought tooth and nail to keep their own homes. And even when the city kept offering more and more, many residents dug in and refused to sell.

Finally, when the price was right, one by one, those homeowners gave in.

According to Jersey Digs, in this case, the owner is willing to sell. But the caveat is that she says she will sell it for a “fair market value.” And that is the part that is always up for discussion. The word “fair” can be subjective.

According to the homeowner herself, the developer made her a verbal offer in 2019 of $450,000 when the property was worth $750,000. She said the developer's offer price was what she paid back in 2014. And even though she's open to allowing progress to move forward, she says the developers have not made a new offer.

Either way, if the development proceeds as planned, with a house serving as sort of a central feature or “courtyard” for the buildings, it will surely be a tourist attraction and draw people from all over to see the real-life “Up” house in Asbury Park.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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