Specter of Eminent Domain Haunts Long Branch Mayoral Race (Part II)
“As residents of Long Branch fought to save their homes, many external observers, the press included, questioned exactly how this battle over property rights came into being. To be clear, the rise of eminent domain abuse and the reshaping of the waterfront didn’t happen overnight; in both theory and practice, this redevelopment was a long-time coming.
Calls for redeveloping the city can be traced back to the early 1980s, but it wasn’t until the aftermath of the legendary pier fire that such plans inched toward reality, sparking debate as to what kind of attractions would be used to lure visitors and businesses back to the beaches. The damage from the blaze was irreparable and so devastating that Governor Tom Kean declared the boardwalk’s remains a disaster area. Amidst the rubble and ruins, businessman Pat Cicalese, who owned the pier and the adjoining Kids World amusement park, proposed building a successor, the plans for which demonstrated a structure in much the same spirit as the original. Unfortunately, insurance woes prevented this dream from ever growing beyond the initial planning stages; Long Branch entered the next decade without much progress in reviving the waterfront.
Financial impediment wasn’t the only roadblock to reviving seasonal tourism; changing social trends also stood in the way of any comeback. The boardwalks of yesteryear, now considered hotbeds of nostalgia and icons of Americana, were largely passé at that point, dismissed as unprofitable relics of a different era. Thus, some dreamed of a more refined waterfront, free of thrill rides, concessions, or arcades. This was the concept championed by Mayor Philip D. Huhn, who told the New York Times he would “like to see a promenade” and not a clone of Cicalese’s old facilities. These competing plans, coupled with legal and financial woes of the property’s owner, led to developmental limbo. The lot sat dormant for a decade, a depressing reminder of the past, but a situation many still feel the city government was ultimately responsible for.”
Mikolay, Dennis. Atlantic Highlands Herald. 4 May 2014.