Neighbors say Lakewood catering hall never should have opened, but township leaves it be

LAKEWOOD - The ongoing battle over the future of a popular catering hall will continue for at least another month after the Zoning Board of Adjustment failed to decide the issue at a special meeting.

Despite more than three hours of testimony, arguments and challenges on Monday, the board voted to continue a long-running hearing on the application by Lake Terrace to keep operating in the township’s industrial zone.

“I think we can continue this next time,” Zoning Board Chair Abe Halberstam said after the lively hearing. He said the board would take up the matter again on July 1.

Officials and attorneys for both sides had hoped there could be some resolution to the dispute that has pitted the banquet hall’s operators against neighboring businesses who claim the venue disrupts traffic and causes noise.

More on what prompted the fight: Does Lakewood banquet hall belong here?

The issue dates back to 2015, when Lake Terrace opened as a catering facility at 1690 Oak St., but without the required zoning approval to operate in the industrial zone.

In 2020, Clayton Associates, one of the neighboring businesses, sued Lakewood Township, claiming it allowed Lake Terrace to operate without proper zoning approval.

The lawsuit, which was amended to include other neighboring businesses and landlord Sudler Cos., claimed the operation created an unlawful nuisance.

Last year, Lake Terrace filed an application for a retroactive permit with the Zoning Board of Adjustment so it could continue to operate as a banquet hall in the industrial zone.

But nearby business owners, including the Sudler Cos., have fought the application, claiming it’s not justified and presenting evidence they claim shows the 36,000-square-foot hall causes problems.

Lakewood news: School budget approved, but it hinges on asking NJ for $104M loan

Several hearings have been held in the past 10 months, with most limited to an hour’s worth of testimony. Attorneys on both sides had sought a special meeting, claiming the previous meetings did not offer enough time to fully resolve the issue given the need for evidence to be seen and witnesses to testify.

Attorney Robert Shea, who represents the neighboring businesses, entered testimony at this week’s hearing from a private investigator and other planning and traffic experts.

Lakewood news: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts coming back to the Jersey Shore after nearly 20 years

The investigator, John Ryan, offered a detailed report with numerous cases of traffic disruptions and overflow parking from the catering hall spilling over to neighboring areas between 2020 and 2023.

He also provided copies of police reports indicating more than 300 police calls to the location between November 2013 and May 2023.

“There were simple assaults, disorderly persons and traffic accidents,” Ryan said about the police incidents.

But when questioned by attorney Adam Pfeffer, who represents the catering hall, Ryan said he had not done any reviews in the past year and that it appeared the situation had improved.

Pfeffer had presented his evidence and witnesses at earlier meetings. They included supporters who stressed the need for the catering location in Lakewood, which has few large enough to hold weddings that can reach 800 guests in the majority Orthodox Jewish community.

Rapid growth: Lakewood birth rates top 5,000 per year, well above larger New Jersey cities

The Lake Terrace property was once a vacant office building with approval to become a school. The school closed in 2009 and in 2015 the building, under the ownership of KBS Mt. Prospect LLC, started operating as a banquet facility without township approval.

Tenants of the industrial park have complained that the events hosted by Lake Terrace result in trash being left behind, property damage and traffic congestion.

“It’s about the fact that they should not be using this property for this purpose,” Shea said Monday.

But Pfeffer countered that things have gotten better: “In almost the past year there have been no incidents to report on.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of four books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at [email protected] and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lake Terrace in Lakewood never should have opened, neighbors argue