Some thoughts on the recent, Margate Planning Board meeting of Sept 27, 2018:
Residents just want better and clearer communication from Commissioners, Planning & School boards.
The legal notifications process. Applicants/developers must notify property owners within 200 ft of project. This process may be legal…but many believe that additional, broader notifications should be considered. Especially for projects that could affect entire city.
In regards to Legal Notices: they may be the legally mandated way to inform the public, but newspaper legal notices are no longer effective… as readership of the Press of Atlantic City has dropped significantly.
Proposed solution: In addition to the newspaper, City should post legal notices to the Margate municipal website. This is easy to do, with zero costs involved. Current Margate City website is capable of doing this.
Margate does excellent job of recording & posting audio from public meetings.
The Margate meeting audio files are usually posted to the city website within 24 hrs or sooner. They sound great. City clerk does very good job of making sure people speak clearly into the microphone. Ventnor and Longport do NOT provide this critical service to their taxpayers.
FINAL Margate Master plan has recently been posted to the City website. Oddly, only a draft was posted on the city site….up until last week. Current Margate Master Plan was finalized Spring 2017.
SEE MARGATE MASTER PLAN BELOW.
Current Masterplan was developed / amended over extended period of time. Residents still question why they weren’t aware…..or invited… to a number of ‘public stakeholder’ input meetings. Residents have asked specifically: When and where were the ‘public input’ meetings held?
Residents found it odd that those selected to author/develop the current Margate Master Plan, included individuals connected to gambling & hospitality concerns. ex: Spectrum Gaming Group and the Lloyd Levenson Institute for Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism.
Community still asking the Margate Commissioners and the Planning Board, which residents were invited? When, where and who showed up?
$200,000 for the Master Plan. Can we delete ‘Hotel Overlay Zone’ from Master Plan? Can it be revisited? Some say no. Rich Patterson: Maybe it could be done.
Margate Zoning Official Roger McClarnon.
Rich Patterson, a CPA, was often frustrated by citizen questions. Patterson read a report from Spectrum Gaming. Sees hotel overlay as a ‘dead issue’.
The Margate Homeowners Association has assisted in pulling together local taxpayers. Playing a greater role in steering the direction of Margate. Residents, both full and part-time, are finally paying closer attention. Recent development decisions, like the golf course, potential water park, and recently squashed, hotel overlay ordinance.
Tempers flared. Big time. Patterson and board, being accused of being rude & dismissive.
Unfounded accusations of criminal activity. Alleged kick-backs. Accused of having secret meetings.
Board feels like their being slandered. Patterson apologizes for sometimes being defensive, short, with residents.
Concerns over Margate turning into more active / transient town.
We don’t read the Press of Atlantic City.
Citizens want additional ways to inform the general public. Especially about substantial / potential projects like: golf course, hotel overlay zone, etc.
Rules to notify those within 200 ft of project. Simple solution: in addition to the newspaper, just POST the legal notices on the City website. simple. no cost.
Margate Planning Board Meetings. 4th Thursday of each month.
Resident: You need a better web developer. Too hard to find stuff.
We want input into things like the Master Plan. The FINAL Master Plan (SPRING 2017) was recently posted to municipal site in late Sept of 2018.
Amherst Ave Margate Water Park rumors.
Patterson. Some did know about it. But not officially as a board.
Potential water park operators. They bought a parcel of land / water on Amherst Ave.
About 3 years ago, they came to Mr Patterson and Zoning officer Roger. They spoke with them, preliminary chat only.
They did NOT come in front of the Planning Board officially.
Golf course. Some residents, within 200 ft of project, claim to have NOT received notification.
Some critical issues being ping-ponged back n forth between Margate Commissioners & Planning Board.
Public not invited to master plan meetings? When and where were these Masterplan public input meetings held?
We need to improve communications.
Tear down a $200k house, put up a million dollar house in Margate.
Adding $40-$50 million in ratables to this town.
Patterson is correct. Margate excels at quickly posting audio of key meetings. This is still a rarity along the Jersey shore.
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