By Kenny Walter
Staff Writer
OCEANPORT- The borough council is fostering a small residential development on the site of a former restaurant.
During the Jan. 21 Borough Council meeting, the council introduced an ordinance that would change the zoning of the former Olde Wharf Inne site on East Main Street from mixed-use to strictly residential.
“It is where the Old Wharf Restaurant was and the adjoining lot which is vacant and owned by the same people,” Business Administrator John O. Bennett III said. “It’s a Village Commercial zone now and what the new ordinance does, is limit the amount of residential units to 20.”
If the ordinance is adopted, the property would switch from the Village Commercial zone to Residential Multiple Family Waterfront (RMW), which is strictly residential. The site has been vacant since the restaurant closed years ago.
Bennett said under the proposed ordinance the entire property must be developed as one project.
“You can’t just buy a piece of it, you have to buy the whole thing,” Bennett said.
Bennett also said the ordinance must be reviewed by the Planning Board before the council can vote on its adoption.
“It has to go to the planning board first, they have 35 days to act and then it comes back to the council,” he said.
