LAKEHURST – Residents questioned the future of a familiar restaurant site and the construction work going on there during a recent Borough Council meeting.
The former site of the La Bove Grande property has had some work done to its exterior in recent months and residents asked what is to become of the site located in the Lakehurst Circle near Route 70. However, no clear answers could be found.
The Manchester Times previously reported in May of 2019 that a deed had been recorded on March 14 of that year from the Ocean County Clerk’s Office showing the property had been sold to two limited liability companies, 800 Route 70 LLC and Route 70 Holdings LLC, both listed at P.O. Box 869 in Lakewood. They hold two thirds interest and one-third interest in the property, respectively. The paperwork on behalf of the buyer is Daniel Czermak a “nonmember manager of the grantee” who was a member of the Lakewood Development Corporation and is the chairman and founder of Beacon Health and Social Services in Oceanport.
That firm provides all-inclusive care for elderly patients on Medicare and Medicaid. Several residents who attended the July 16, 2020 council meeting asked about the granite menorah that was carved into the side of the building and asked if the plan for the building was for it to be a senior day care facility that would be open to everyone or if it now had become a religious institution.
Previously the Borough Council had considered but later tabled an ordinance that would have allowed for assisted living residences, continuing care communities, residential medical detoxification centers, and behavioral health care facilities on lots at least two acres in size.
The zoning would be amended “west of Center Street and front of Route 70.” The former restaurant/banquet hall could only accommodate up to 50 inpatients and according to the borough’s website’s Land Use information, “the area of the Borough of Lakehurst west of the railroad tracks is under the jurisdiction of the Pinelands Commission.” This means that anything in that area would have to jump over environmental hurdles in order to be built or expanded.
Before an application can be heard by the Land Use Board an application or development in that area would require a certificate of filing from the Pinelands Commission.
The proposed ordinance in regards to assisted living residence/continuing care communities has not been pursued further. Borough Clerk Maryanne Capasso said the council’s “ordinance committee was working on it but with COVID-19, it has come to a halt. Any applications for that property would be presented to the Land Use Board and as the secretary, I have not received any paperwork as of yet.”
La Bove Grande operated for more than 30 years in the borough. It was founded by two brothers, Jerry and Luigi Bove. Jerry Bove originally refused to comment about rumors of its pending closure at the time but a statement was later issued by both owners that included a bittersweet confirmed that they had closed their doors and thanked the loyalty of its customers and staff, noting many social milestone events had occurred there over the years and that many patrons would have fond memories of the venue.
