‘Master Plan’ Unveiled at Last OB Meeting
Volume 48, Issue 10
August 27 - September 9, 2004
By Mark Bulliet

The Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP), a new "master plan" for the village, was a major topic at the final Ocean Beach Community Board meeting of the summer on August 21.

Master Plan
The LWRP will both obligate the village to follow stricter standards and allow it to receive more aid from other government agencies, as well as giving the village a cohesive sense of purpose in all its future plans for development, village administrators explained.
The trustee board voted to release the plan to the public and take their comments. Comments about the plan are widely positive, but many feel there are certain items that need to be clarified or included in a final draft of the plan which, once enacted, would be difficult to amend.
The LWRP would "[f]oster a pattern of development in the village of Ocean Beach coastal area that enhances community character, preserves open space, makes efficient use of infrastructure, makes beneficial use of a coastal location, and minimizes adverse effects of development," according to the document, which remains available online at www.obvillage.com.
The village office will continue to accept suggestions and comments about the plan until late September. Comments can be mailed to the Village of Ocean Beach, P.O. Box 457.
Specific policies include the protection of agricultural lands and fish and wildlife resources, as well as the protection of water-dependent industries. Other initiatives include enhancing the visual qualities of Ocean Beach, improving air quality and preserving historic resources.
The plan, which notes that Ocean Beach is already "fully developed," says most new improvements would need to be made through redevelopment or renovation of existing structures and preservation of OB’s last remaining open spaces, the beach and dunes.
"It was presented as a vehicle in which to better map out our future as written by us," trustee Steven Einig told The News. "It’s supposed to enable us to more easily access available funds. And supposedly the state and federal governments are going to love us for having done this."
Residents at the community board meeting who had reviewed the plan had a variety of comments. Some pointed out oversights, such as one local who decried a lack of planning to reduce noise levels from compressors, air conditioners and swimming pools, pointing out that the village of Saltaire has noise regulations that affect those machines.
"Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of the large lots Saltaire has," Mayor Natalie Rogers said in response.
There is no timeline or price-tag for the project yet, said John Ellsworth, manager of environmental programs for engineering and planning firm Cashin Associates, who drew up the document for the village.
Trustee Joseph Loeffler said that the beginnings of the plan dated back to Thomas Schwarz’s tenure as mayor. "It sets the tone for us going forward," he said. "We’re looking for grant money, we’re looking for direction, we’re looking for opportunity."
"This provides a tool for us, a major tool for us when we do go out and look for grant money," said Mayor Rogers.

Bocce Beach
Local eatery Bocce Beach withdrew its application for a special permit to renovate on August 17, it was revealed at the meeting.
The restaurant, which hopes to relocate its entrance to Bay Walk, reallocate commercial space it’s using as boarding rooms as part of the dining area, and install disabled-access ramps and bathrooms, has submitted its proposal to the Zoning Board of Appeals instead, according to trustee Einig.
Their application received a mixed reaction from the village board, with some administrators seeming receptive and others attacking it for violating a section of the village code prohibiting commercial expansion.

Community House
The village has finally begun advertising for bids for the renovation of the community house, a vital landmark in the village used for everything from movie screenings to dances.
The building has been in dire need of repair for years, village leaders report, and after two years of planning and a "tremendous amount of work" bids are ready to be received, trustee Joseph Loeffler said.
New electrical wiring, plumbing, gutters, windows, roofing, and lights will be installed, as well as a new promenade, officials said.
Loeffler assured residents that no increases in taxes or village debt would be incurred, as the nearly $1 million earmarked for the renovation has already been set aside in a "lockbox."
Some items on citizens’ wish lists have not been addressed, however. Theatrical lighting for the stage will be dealt with later, according to the mayor, because they ran out of time to plan for it now, and a sprinkler system was not designed because it was found to be cost-prohibitive.

Security Patrol
Chief of Police Ed Paradiso announced that the Ocean Beach security patrol, a group of unarmed young men who have provided an extra set of eyes and ears to the police for many summers, will have their numbers reduced next summer. The patrol is often seen policing bicycle use on Midway, walking the beach or serving as dockmasters at the bay. Though the dockmasters will be brought back next year, police said, the other two functions will be performed by uniformed police officer next season.
The money used to pay the members of the patrol will be spent on hiring new police officers, Paradiso said.
Paradiso said the patrol had never worked as well as he had hoped because the patrol must radio a police officer to write tickets when they see a violation.
He said that when he was first looking for officers over two decades ago, few were interested in working in Ocean Beach, so security-patrol members were hired instead. But a glut of qualified and interested retiring police officers from neighboring municipalities has relieved Paradiso of that problem in recent years.
Two mobile umbrella stations will be installed on the beach next summer, Paradiso also said, so cops can stay out of the sun when they’re patrolling the beach.