I still remember our Board of Trustees Resolution #9-2018, dated March 28, 2018 when Mayor Avena, Trustee Von Roeschlaub, then Trustee Popeleski and myself all voted not to enact the Waterfront Overlay District that covered the Commercial Marine (C-1) District along our Village waterfront. A good reason behind this vote was due to our Public Hearing about three (3) weeks before at the Village Hall with close to 70 residents in attendance. Many of these residents had also attended numerous hearings conducted over an 18-month period with my time on our Waterfront Committee while a building moratorium existed for most of that time along our waterfront.
Our residents were not interested in some of the engineer’s recommendations along our waterfront such as building a senior housing complex or raising heights for buildings. They and our Board of Trustee members were aware of Chapter 155-18 of our Zoning laws-Commercial Marine (C-1) District with its nine (9) Permitted Uses under Section B, none of which included the building of houses or apartments.
I also remember another Public Hearing in 2018 when we allowed about 70 of our Village residents the opportunity to speak about my Parking Permit Program proposal that I believed then and now was a good solution for our existing parking problems that continue to grow. After this hearing, our entire Board of Trustees voted to table this topic for future consideration. Once again, a Public Hearing brought in all of our concerned residents to talk like adults and make their feelings evident to our Village government for consideration on future actions. This is exactly how our American government was formed “for the people and by the people”.
It is very ironic that all of our Board members present assured all of our residents at that Public Hearing that we would keep the C-1 District “as is” and was meant to be! In March 2023, Mayor Popeleski and his entire Board of Trustees went in a new direction by giving a builder permission to build a 32-apartment complex in this very same Commercial Marine (C-1) District without remembering what he and our entire Board had told our residents only five (5) years before that we would keep the C-1 District the way it was and should remain. If our current administration is actually interested in “improving our Village and enhancing community life”, then I truly believe it would be a good time for all of them to experience a Public Hearing to maintain the “open lines of communication (transparency) with the residents they represent.”
During my four (4) year tenure as your Trustee from 2016-2020, I spent considerable time reading up on all of our Village laws after returning to my hometown in 2015. My efforts were rewarded when I was able to write new laws, update existing older laws, and then see them put into effect in our Village Code. I would encourage all of our Village officials to make a similar effort on behalf of all of our residents. With the Village elections completed, I hope that Mayor Popeleski and his entire Board of Trustees can concentrate on many of the important issues in our Village. They along with the Board of Zoning Appeals need to follow the laws in our Village Code rather than allow height variances which began in January 2020 and still continue. There has been a lack of effort on addressing our continuing parking problems, our deteriorated roads need repaving, and the condition of our 1-mile-long sewer line should be of paramount importance. Our current Board of Trustees should keep in mind that 41% of our voting public (12% of our Village residents) chose a brand new slate of candidates during this election over this present administration. Now it is time to work on the needs of their constituents, ALL THE RESIDENTS of this wonderful waterfront Village.
Ken Kraft, Village of Manorhaven Trustee 2016-2020
