Third time not a charm for Lakewood banquet hall hearing
LAKEWOOD - A hearing about Lake Terrace banquet facility's operations was canceled this week for a third time, leaving its future in question.
The 36,000-square-foot venue, located in Lakewood’s Industrial Park, has been operating as a banquet hall despite township regulations that prohibit such uses in a designated industrial zone.
Owner KBS Mt. Prospect LLC is seeking a retroactive permit from the township Zoning Board of Adjustment to continue operating, despite neighbors concerns that the venue doesn't belong in the Industrial Park.
Ron Simoncini, spokesperson for Sudler Companies, which owns close to 80% of the industrial park properties, said tenants have complained that the venue has hosted events with as many as 2,000 people. Their cars have clogged the park's roads and blocked entrances used by trucks loading and unloading materials, Simoncini said.
The events have also left behind trash on the streets and damaged property, said Robert Shea, a Toms River attorney representing Sudler Companies.
For example, an outdoor event, Shea added, closed streets and halted operations for companies within the park because trucks could not enter or exit the property.
“If banquet halls are going to be allowed in the M1 zone (industrial park) it is going to have a significant impact on tenants, on industrial owners and on the ability to do business within the industrial park, which right now is a major tax (ratable) for Lakewood,” Shea said.
Wednesday night's scheduled hearing on the banquet hall was canceled after Board Attorney Jerry Dasti said it should be postponed because the board's Jan. 9 reorganization, where the agenda was set, was not properly advertised under the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act.
In a letter to the board, Dasti said that the board advertised the Jan. 9 meeting in only one newspaper, but state law requires it be advertised in two.
A new date for the hearing has not been scheduled.
Township officials did not explain the reasons for the prior hearing cancellations. The Oct. 24 meeting cancellation, for instance, was never posted on the township’s website.
Lake Terrace, 1690 Oak St., once a vacant office building was approved to become a school in 2005. The school closed in 2009 and in 2015 the building was sold to its current owners who turned it into a banquet facility.
After complaints about Lake Terrace were brought before the Ocean County Superior Court, an order was issued in February 2021 banning Lake Terrace from hosting outdoor events or hosting events with more than 700 attendees.
Lake Terrace did not reply to Press phone calls seeking comment.
Juan Carlos Castillo is a reporter covering everything Lakewood. He delves into politics, social issues and human-interest stories. Reach out to him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood NJ banquet hall operation irritates industrial neighbors
