Redevelopment Plan for Old Home Hits Snag

BY DONALD WITTKOWSKI Jamie Sofroney says he sent hundreds of letters to his neighbors in Sea Isle City to seek their support for his plans to build a new single-family home in place of an old house that was later converted into a real estate office. He initially considered three options for the property at 8505 Landis Avenue in Townsends Inlet: Renovate the old house, tear it down to build a new single-family home or redevelop the site for a mixed-use project combining commercial space and condominiums. “Everyone, everybody I spoke to is adamant that I don’t do commercial,” Sofroney told members of the Sea Isle Zoning Board on Monday night. With neighborhood sentiment clearly opposed to commercial development, Sofroney ultimately decided to redevelop the property at the corner of Landis Avenue and 85th Street for a new home. However, after about an hour of discussion during Monday’s zoning board meeting, he abruptly asked the board to table his application until April. He did so after two board members began pointedly questioning the wisdom of building a new home in an area zoned for commercial development. “We’re opening up a big can of worms,” said Bill McGinn, one of the zoning members who raised doubts about the project. McGinn and fellow board member Lou Feola expressed concerns about the commercial district in Townsends Inlet being “cut off” if a new single-family home is built on the property. The existing house at 8505 Landis Avenue served as a private residence for more than 90 years after it was first built around 1900. It was converted into an office for the former T.I. Realty company in 1992, but has remained vacant in recent years. At some point, the city’s zoning regulations were changed for commercial development in the area where the old home is located. Sofroney needs a “use variance” from the zoning board to build a new home in a commercial district. He would also need a variance to build on the undersized lot. Zoning regulations would allow him to build a commercial project up to 40 feet high and without any property setbacks, Sofroney said. Such a project on an undersized lot would be a “monstrosity” because it would detract from the residential character of the surrounding neighborhood, he believes. “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, gentlemen. I don’t think a commercial use and mixed use is practical here,” he told the zoning board. Local real estate agent Jamie Sofroney reviews his plans while addressing the Sea Isle Zoning Board members. Sofroney toyed with the idea of saving the old house, but the renovations would have been costly. He explained that extensive reconstruction would have triggered a requirement for him to elevate the home to comply with current flood standards. Sofroney, a local real estate agent, wouldn’t live in the new house if he builds it. He intends to put it on the market. He said a single-family home would create far less density than a commercial project, allowing for more open space around the property. The house would also be 8 feet shorter than a commercial structure. He also plans to build three spaces of off-street parking for the new home. His neighbors had made it clear that parking is a high priority for Townsends Inlet, Sofroney said. Like other sections of Sea Isle, Townsends Inlet explodes with tourists during the summer vacation season and parking is at a premium. During the zoning board meeting, six local residents spoke in favor of Sofroney’s plans. No one from the public voiced opposition. Some of the supporters stressed their concerns that a commercial project at the site would only add to the neighborhood’s parking shortage. “We don’t need any more stores. It just creates more congestion,” said Loretta Giello, a resident of 85th Street who lives two doors down from Sofroney’s property. Another neighbor, Harry Lipschultz, said everyone he has spoken to supports Sofroney’s proposal to build a new home instead of a commercial project. “Definitely residential is preferred,” Lipschultz said. After the meeting, neighbors spoke to Sofroney to reiterate their support for his plans. They also expressed their surprise and disappointment that some of the zoning board members questioned the project. “I thought it would be a slam dunk,” said one neighbor who expected the project to breeze through the board’s approval process. “I thought it was a slam dunk, too,” Sofroney responded. Sofroney said he will now discuss his plans with his team of professionals. He declined further comment. Jamie Sofroney speaks to local residents who support his project after he asked the zoning board to table his application until April.