MARGATE – An ordinance introduced at the Aug. 1 Board of Commissioners meeting would allow the city to sell a strip of beachfront land to an adjacent property owner.
Ordinance 16-2024 will allow the sale of a tract of land next to the bulkhead near Osborne Avenue to adjacent property owner Jeffrey Kaplan who resides at 114 S. Osborne Ave. The narrow strip of land totaling 1,756 square feet landward of the bulkhead will generate a $226,000 cash payment for the city. The lot measures 17.8 by 80.42 feet, much smaller than what is required to be developed.
Kaplan will also be required to rebuild the bulkhead that spans the property, which is in disrepair, at an estimated cost of $1,800 per linear foot within a year. In addition, Kaplan will be required to replace the street-end bulkhead and erect stairs and ADA access.
State law allows the city to offer property to contiguous owners, but the city must first determine if the land is on the NJ Green Acres Open Space Inventory. The city is currently in the process of determining the status before it can convey the land through a Bargain and Sale Deed with Covenants Against the Grantor’s Acts. The title will be held in escrow until the bulkhead is replaced to the satisfaction of the city engineer.
A public hearing on the ordinance will be held 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15 at Historic City Hall, 1 S. Washington Ave.
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