Should Margate taxpayers bankroll a $2.3 million purchase of a contaminated gas station and convert it into a parking lot?
The questionable, possible purchase of Taylor’s Gas Station by the City of Margate is raising eyebrows. Are taxpayers funding a project that only helps a few adjacent businesses during the summer?
The gas station on Ventnor Ave is a half block from Colmar Hardware, a popular business owned by Mayor Michael Collins and his father, Tom Collins of the Margate Planning Board.
Margate will lose substantial, prime ratables / tax revenue if they purchase the contaminated lot. City will likely have to borrowing / bond / tax for the acquisition. Second homeowners will pay for a majority of the purchase.
While it could alleviate some parking shortages during 15 summer weekends, history has shown that a past parking lot project in the middle of town was a complete failure.
Margate could have purchased the former Johnny’s parking lot for cheap. A perfect location in the middle of the CBD, central business district.
The property was listed at $800,000 and sold for $708,000 at Sherriff sale in May of 2019.
As a ‘pay to park’ lot in a perfect location, it failed spectacularly. Rarely used. 26 parking spaces with a robotic payment and entrance system that never seemed to work.
To date, Collins and esteemed solicitor John Scott Abbott haven’t disclosed how Margate would operate the parking lot. Would it be two levels? Parking meters? Permit only? Attendant on site?
Residents now asking that a referendum and public hearing be scheduled.
Opponents of the gas station plan claim Margate Mayor Mike Collins and father Tom Collins of the Margate Planning Board, would benefit greatly from a parking lot close to the Colmar Hardware store they own.
Interesting to note: Maury Blumberg, Margate’s Commissioner of Revenue and Finance, was unaware of the parking lot plan until recently.
As predicted, Margate Mayor Collins cancelled the July 4 commissioner meeting, but didn’t reschedule. That’s one less meeting that non-voting 2nd homeowners can address commissioners about their concerns.
While most shore towns are increasingly transparent, Margate is becoming less so. Collins and Abbott still support blocking of live video / ZOOM feeds of public city meetings. This conflicts with Collin’s main campaign promise of bringing more transparency to city government.
Michael Collins, Margate’s TIK TOK Mayor.
Margate Revenue and Finance Commissioner Maurice ‘Maury’ Blumberg challenged Collins on his cancelation of the popular Margate email newsletter. Instead, Mayor Collins prefers using controversial social media platforms like Tik Tok and Instagram for sharing vital city news and info.
Blumberg suggested that Margate consider taking back the lot at the corner of Franklin and Ventnor Ave., currently being used as a NJ Transit bus stop / terminal.
There is absolutely NO transparency here in Margate. Secret meetings and shady decisions are the constant here.
No ZOOM meetings are a deliberate way to hide info from those that can’t attend meetings.
The parking lot is absolutely ridiculous! It’s certainly not beneficial to the businesses that really need parking!
I guess the media hasn’t picked up on the new Margate Board of Education hire effective July 1…”Amy Collins”
Wonder if she is related to the mayor? :-) That’s the real story the media is missing here…
As a Shoobie why do you care? Do you know Amy, have you ever spoken to her? Unreal…
Amy Collins is qualified and deserving of the hire. At least we know the interest of our children are in good and competent hands.
I’m fairly certain the state of NJ has minimum requirements to be a teacher in this state, so yes I agree all of the applicants would be “qualified” for the position.
Is she the “most” qualified? Best choice out of ALL applicants? I would find that hard to believe.
With declining school enrollment, why does Margate feel the need to keep hiring new teachers?
You ask why a “shoobie” cares. I bet this “shoobie” pays twice as much property tax as you “locals” do, so yeah that’s my money funding this nepotism, that’s why I care.
Any other questions?
Wow. Just wow. This is a prime example of the downfall of Margate. The entitlement of the newcomers to town with their “twice as much property tax”. I miss the old days of the cherry hill or mainline shoobies. The new breed of “transplants” as I’ve heard them refer to themselves is something else. Once the traffic lights on Atlantic stopped blinking in September, that was the beginning of the end.
It’s entitlement when all second homeowner get it the wrath of dingruntled locals. The old small properties do not have enough of a tax base to sustain the town, without a massive increase. That is a simple financial fact whether you acknowledge it or not. And then the scorn and attitudes like yours help nothing but make matters worse by creating a caste system of what roles should be.
The strength of our town, Margate, is it’s 2 commercial areas. We not only embrace the retail shops, but need to strengthen them. Additional parking is key. Great leadership move by Mayor Collins.
Tax payers of Margate, both full time residents and second homeowners need to attend the commissioners meeting on July 18th. Everyone should voice their concerns and force the current city officials to represent the tax payers, not their interests. Let’s take Margate back!
What a waste of taxpayer money!
Margate is creating a tax revenue consumer rather than creating a tax revenue paying property.
If developed as a mixed use property as it is zoned currently , three commercial stores and three two story three bedroom townhouses above, the property could generate tax revenue.
Just a guess …. Each townhouse $12,000 each in real estate taxes and the commercial spaces at $24,000 total.
That is $50,000.00 in tax revenue.
Instead the Margate tax payers will have a cost to buy the property.$2,300,000.00. Plus Interest payments if a bond is floated to pay for the property. Ongoing maintenance cost. Insurance costs.
Why? To benefit a hand full of stores?
Not a good deal for Margate?
Maybe good for a friend of the Collins family.
Abbott and Amodeo.
Unless there is a secret deal that will rear it’s ugly head in two years or more?
Bet on it!
Margate should sell tickets to their government dealings which is a circus.
I hear alot about that hardware store.
After all these decades, the city cares about parking?
At this point, a developer should buy it and build condos which would generate tax revenues.
We had the opportunity to vote them OUT at the last election, however, we chose to continue with the same administration.
Unfortunately, issues continue weekly to benefit the FEW and not the ENTIRE community. Very Sad.
The same mostly elderly miserable locals don’t represent the view of all of the full time residents.
An appallingly low number turned out to vote, and like always voted in the same basic slate by a large margins.
Blah Blah, you are such a Shoobie resorting to insulting those year round residents. We treat our fellow residents with respect when interacting with them at restaurants, bars, stores etc etc. We also follow road laws. Thankfully not all summer residents are as insulting as you are. Please reflect on how you could have made your point without insults. Have a wonderful Independence Day celebration.
It’s amazing how the “locals” support them and don’t see how this crew only supports themselves.
Our history of [former Margate mayor] Becker’s daughter in law and [former commissioner] Amadeo’s daughter getting plum jobs at the Margate schools and his wife’s job at the library.
Amodeo leaves to get a plum job at the SJ transportation authority after he screwed up the bay views with Lamberti’s ugly build.
Collins sells his kitchens to the town and his builder friends in exchange for variance after variance. And now he wants us to buy him a parking lot!
Commissioner Horn supports their desires and gets more electrical work. And nice guy commissioner Maury Blumberg is waking up from his nap. Which leads to state pensions when they retire which we pay for.
$$$ for them and their friends.
Six or twelve units?
Tequila bar has no parking requirements? A [favor] for their campaign supporter [a local real estate exec]!
An illegal beach bar with loud music, paying no real estate taxes, and paying fine after fine while “they see nothing”.
All the while the “locals” settle for a beer 🍺 party because … they grew up together.
I guess it’s the blue star education they got. Where’s the ethics!!
Very well stated, Average Joe.
The masses can be asses.
Some locals, sadly, must feel good that they know a small city politician or something as some of these small city politicians take advantage of their positions for their own benefits.
Some of these small city (as well as many politicians) are not really providing public service but private service to themselves, their family and their friends.
In Margate and in many cities across New Jersey and the country, one can do a flowchart and will find much of a family and friends network of people in jobs because of their connections, regardless of their qualifications.
SMH
A parking lot sounds like a terrible use of our tax dollars. I’d recommend a project to improve the community center – something everyone can benefit from. The current community center is a dump and the bathrooms are disgusting. Margate can do much better!
That doesn’t address the clear issues with parking especially in the summer with dependence on business revenues then… your idea is a nice to have, not a need to have. Or could be funded with donations.
Not in favor of using my tax dollars for this purpose, but it’s never about what the tax payers want/need.
As someone who has owned his home in Margate since 1988 and now full time for last year, I despise the term shoobies.
It is derisive and disrespectful.
It intimates that all those who don’t live here full time are somehow second class citizen of Margate even though they contribute approximately 75% of the tax revenues and help support the essential services we all benefit from.
Would it not be more productive if we all considered ourselves simply as residents.
I suspect we would get more accomplished utilizing the talents of all the “residents”
“Shoebie” is a term of endearment that many locals have been using for decades and like to use.
I understand your viewpoint but
I do not think the Political Correctness (PC) police need to be notified over this…lol…
I am against margate purchasing this lot [gas station] in order to make it a parking lot.
I’m all for business owners making money, and additional parking would certainly help, but they all started these businesses knowing what the parking situation is in that section of town, and still decided to go forward.
If a parking lot is needed to help increase business, then I say let the business owners put up the funds to buy the lot. They can then increase prices as needed to help fund the purchase.
I also agree that the city should be more transparent about the various meetings that are open to the public (Commission meetings, Board of Education meetings, and Planning Board meetings) via Zoom calls.
In that same vein of transparency, I think that all of those posting here should stop being anonymous and use your real names.
Let the commissioners know who you are, as that will carry more weight than a fictional name or initials.
It is easy to be a keyboard hero when posting anonymously, but if you really believe in what you are saying then let everyone know who you are.