Government

New Owners Seek to Delay Demolition of Brick Home That Has Been Deteriorating for 20 Years

by
Daniel Nee
April 16, 2024

The home at 24 Adair Drive, Brick, N.J., April 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The owners of a Brick Township home that has been the subject of myriad complaints from residents – and is in perilous condition, including holes in the foundation and roof – have asked the township council to delay an order to demolish the ranch-style home even after dozens of summonses, hearings and two decades of deterioration that neighbors say has become a blight on their otherwise neatly-kept waterfront neighborhood.

The home at 24 Adair Drive has plagued neighbors since 2022, officials have said. The township’s Property Maintenance Board has recommended its demolition after issuing countless legal notices, which are laminated and continue to hang in a thick stack from the front doorknob.

The home at 24 Adair Drive, Brick, N.J., April 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

A hole is forming in the roof where a satellite dish still hangs. Holes can be found in numerous portions of the home’s foundation, the windows are boarded up – but poorly and accessible to animals and vermin – and neighbors have previous come to township council meetings begging for assistance. The home, built in 1920, has fallen into a state of extreme disrepair, including a broken-down deck in the front, weeds growing from an unmaintained driveway and severely deteriorating roofing and shingles.

Last week, the township council voted to authorize the demolition of the home, however not before its newest owners made a case to keep it standing while they attempt to renovate it and raise it – a prospect that some officials doubted was even possible due to its level of deterioration.

Ocean County property records show a slew of owners having owned or had an interest in the property over the last two decades, including several investment groups and banks. The most recent deed was issued to Korn Finger LLC, of Lakewood, which bought the property in Jan. 2023 from an entity known as Broadway Investors LLC whose address is listed in the same location on Swarthmore Avenue.

Korn Finger LLC’s principals, according to state business records, include Reuven D. Korn, of Lakewood, who spoke at the meeting, and Avraham Yosef Chaim Fingerhut, also of Lakewood. The company was formed in Nov. 2022.

Korn, who identified himself as the current owner, told council members that despite the hearings, he did not receive any notices of demolition until December of 2023. He asked the council to vote against the demolition order and give him more time, telling members of the governing body that he would submit paperwork to the township the next morning. Officials, however, questioned why no paperwork had been filed in more than a year of ownership, and the morning after a vote on demolition was about to take place.

The home at 24 Adair Drive, Brick, N.J., April 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

“For years, this property has been in disrepair. It’s really been a disaster for a while,” said Township Attorney Kevin Starkey. “The demolition is going to be authorized to take place on or after May 31. This has been years and years in the making. You have an opportunity, if you want to get your applications in and they are approved by the building department, to do it yourself.”

Korn, however, said he wanted to renovate the home rather than demolishing it himself and rebuilding it.

“I know the previous owner let go of a lot of violations and you want to demolish the house,” he said. “We went through with engineers and we are ready to submit paperwork, renovate the house, lift it and bring it up to standards, so I’m asking to delay demolition.”

Starkey advised the council to move forward with the demolition order, to which the council responded with a unanimous vote to do so.

“You’re standing here right now, but it’s been more than 20 years that this property has been a problem,” Starkey said.

Township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin also expressed concerns over the idea of renovating, rather than razing, the home after so many years of abandonment.

“If you are opting to elevate and rebuild, you will need a structural evaluation and a permit,” she said. “We’ve had several new owners telling us exactly what you’re telling us, so this is where the rubber hits the road. If it takes six weeks [for a permit to be approved], it takes six weeks, but submitting it is the first step and that has not been done.”

Asked by Bergin if the new owner had completed due diligence before the purchase, Korn simply responded, “no.”

“I talked to a resident today who is absolutely, positively, out of patience,” Bergin said. “So it isn’t fair to come here with permits that haven’t been submitted to the building department and waive demolition.”

In December 2023, a demolition contract was awarded to Frank Lurch Demolition Company, of Avon-by-the-Sea, for $16,200 for the base demolition services and $2,000 per ton for asbestos remediation. Last week’s resolution passed by the council set forth the final demolition order and a date, as well as authorized a lien on the property to cover the cost, though in some previous cases, property owners have demolished buildings before the authorized date since demolition services are often cheaper when ordered privately.