Photos by JEFF FUSCO/Longport Post Office being razed to make way for housing.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
The well-worn Longport Post Office on 27th Avenue met its demise today as a demolition contractor started razing the building to make way for future development at the site.
The borough, a tiny hamlet by the sea at the southernmost tip of Absecon Island, did what it could to save the Post Office with Mayor Nicholas Russo sending letters to U.S. Senators, but the current use of the property is not the highest and best use of the land. Current assesments show the land is value alone is $554,300.
Although the building was razed, there have been no building plans submitted to the municipality, Zoning Officer Bruce Funk said.
Matthew Vassalo, a real estate agent with Compass Real Estate said the owner has not decided what to build there, and the lot is currently not on the market.
The small stucco building with an apartment on top has been a Post Office since the 1930s and may have been a gas station before that.
Home delivery of mail was not affected by its closure. Mail carriers now deliver to Longport residences from the Margate Post Office. Those who have PO Box numbers must now pick up their mail at 8 S. Franklin Ave. in Margate.
The 55- by 108-foot property was zoned commercial/office but, like most of Longport, is located in a residential single-family zone. The borough has many executive-style homes, but only three commercial businesses on the corner of Atlantic and 24th avenues - two restaurants and a real estate office.
