Bay Head & Mantoloking Today – February 2020 – County Tax Base, Cell Tower, Beach Reports, Market
All is well here, and we hope that all is well with you! The mild winter continues, and there are reports that this year could be a record low snowfall for New Jersey! Overall, the beaches in both towns are in good condition, though in Bay Head, the groins continue to appear and disappear at times. In Mantoloking, the town’s annual beach condition report was recently published. This month’s video includes a flyby of Scow Ditch, and aerial views of other parts of Bay Head and Mantoloking.
Brick Shorebeat recently published an update regarding Ocean County’s tax ratable base. In short, the tax base is approaching pre-Sandy levels!
“We are now within $2 billion from the highest we’ve ever been,” said Freeholder Jack Kelly. “We believe that next year when we present this budget, we’re going to have an all-time high in the tax base of Ocean County. That helps us to have a healthy surplus.” – Brick Shorebeat
As some of you may know, we periodically mail out our magazine, American Lifestyle (containing articles regarding food, travel, art, and many other topics). We are now offering a digital version – if you would like to receive it, please let us know (just reply to this email). In addition, if you would like to receive a periodic update about your property’s value, and the surrounding market activity, please let us know, and we will set this up for you.
As always, we hope that you enjoy this month’s video below! If you would enjoy seeing an aerial view of your home or property, please let us know, and we’ll see what we can do, especially as nicer weather approaches!
Around the Towns
Happily, all is well and quiet in Mantoloking! Everyone is excited that Save Barnegat Bay and the Mantoloking Environmental Commission have teamed up to host a cleanup of North and South Lagoon Lane, focused on the Patty Brand Garden on Bergen Avenue. This will be held on Sunday, March 15th, from 11 to 2, and all are welcome!
In Bay Head, the proposed NJ Transit project is one of the biggest concerns. You can find more information about the project here. Meetings continue, and Save Barnegat Bay is also involved because of the nearby wetlands, and other concerns. Currently, an effort is being made to confirm that all permits were properly obtained, and that all concerned parties received proper notice.
Howe Field is scheduled to be remediated, hopefully starting on Monday. Top soil and more will be removed, screened/sifted, tested, and as appropriate, placed back on the field. The field will then be graded and reseeded with appropriate grasses. This work is hoped to be complete by April. We are told that it will serve only as a practice field, with no organized sports.
Via private funding, it is expected that repair work will begin on the beach groins in mid-March, with work estimated to conclude in mid-June, subject to weather. Work is projected to start near the former location of the Bluffs, and proceed north.
On Monday, there was a public meeting regarding where a cell phone tower might be placed in Bay Head, after the water tower is removed in November. The town may hire a consultant to help this process along, but no determination has been made as to location. Comments are still welcome, either to the borough hall, the Mayor, or to a council member.
Events
There aren’t many events to share right now, but looking WAY ahead, there is the Seaweeder’s Garden Tour on June 18th, from 10AM to 3PM. Tickets can be purchased via PayPal. We’ll remind you again as the event approaches! We will share more events as summer gets closer!
The I Love Bay Head and Suzie & Ed Facebook pages are also good sources of information about upcoming events. If you are not on Facebook (or even if you are), always feel free to call or email with any questions.
Meetings
The next Bay Head Council Meeting will be held on March 2nd at 7:00PM, and Mantoloking’s next regular Council Meeting is on March 17th, at 5:30PM. The next Bay Head Planning Board meeting is on March 18th at 7:30PM, and the next Mantoloking Planning Board meeting is on March 5th at 6:30PM.
Additional town meetings can be found on the respective websites, linked below. If you can’t find an answer to your question, please let us know.
Market
The continued mild weather has resulted in a “early spring” for most segments of the local real estate market! A number of our listings are under contract or in attorney review, and most others are getting shown. Our buyers have been out looking at homes as well. At the moment, we have two new listings to share – 543 Club Drive, and 440 Holly Avenue, both in Bay Head. Both also appear briefly in the video above.
There are currently 24 homes and parcels of land available in Bay Head, and 4 properties under contract. There have been 2 closings in Bay Head in the last 30 days.
There are currently 20 homes and parcels of land available in Mantoloking, and 3 properties under contract. There have been 3 closings in Mantoloking in the past 30 days.
As always, all of our current listings can be found on our website.
If you have questions about your property, or another neighborhood, please ask. If you would like to receive more frequent updates, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram (#suzieandedrealtors), or please give us a call, or ask us about Homebeat.
We always welcome your comments, suggestions for topics, and other feedback. If there is a particular topic that you would like us to cover, or a question that you need an answer to, please let us know.
If you have questions about your own property, or know someone (near or far), who is talking about moving, please keep us in mind. If the contemplated move is outside of the areas we serve, we can happily provide a referral to a well qualified agent just about anywhere.
We hope that you continue to enjoy this mild winter, and that you’re looking forward to spring, which is less than a month away! Thank you!
Ed and Suzie
All statistics are per the Monmouth/Ocean MLS as of 2/27/20.