By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
There is a tiny, dilapidated house that sits at the end of a dirt road overlooking the marshlands in the far north end of Sea Isle City.
The shack-like home at 204 Sounds Avenue was built in 1932, according to real estate records. It looks like it hasn’t been repaired since 1932.
The windows are boarded up. Siding is missing on parts of the house. The sagging porch is cluttered with old wood and other debris.
Since 2008, Sea Isle has objected to the blighted condition of the house and pursued legal action in 2011 against its former owner to have it torn down, City Solicitor Paul Baldini said.
Now, after more than a decade of controversy and litigation, the city is supporting plans by the current owners to rebuild the crumbling structure.
“These kinds of cases tend to take years to resolve,” Baldini said.
At its April 28 meeting, City Council approved a resolution for a “statement of consent” with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to allow the owners to rebuild the property.
Baldini wasn’t sure whether the house will be entirely rebuilt or remodeled. But he noted that the city is pleased the run-down property will finally be improved.
He characterized it as a “win-win” for both sides because the property will remain a tax ratable for the city and the owners will be able to make their home in Sea Isle.
Real estate records show that the house is owned by Brian and Jennifer Larsen. Brian Larsen did not return calls seeking comment.
Baldini said the couple is part of Sea Isle’s well-known Larsen family of Larsen’s Marina fame.
“As far as I’m concerned, this young couple has done a tremendous amount of work on this property,” Baldini said of plans by Brian and Jennifer Larsen to rebuild.
At first glance, it seems remarkable that the house is even still standing. Perched on wood pilings, the structure sits directly on top of the marshlands along Sounds Avenue, where Second Street comes to a dead end near Sea Isle’s northern border with Strathmere.
The part of Sounds Avenue where the house is located turns into a dirt road, giving the property a rural appearance oddly mixed in with Sea Isle’s collection of multimillion-dollar beachfront vacation homes.
The city’s concerns over the deteriorated property began in 2008 with its elderly former owner, Evelyn McQuade, and escalated into a lawsuit in 2011. After McQuade died, the city gave her estate more time to sell the property instead of moving ahead to have the house demolished, Baldini explained.
Reminiscent of an old-fashioned seashore cottage, the house is just 792 square feet and sits on a small lot. Real estate records show it was sold in 2015 for $175,000.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has to give its approval for the house to be rebuilt or remodeled because of its location next to the marsh, Baldini said.
