The headlines for 2006 were plum full of changes for the island which are immediately pending or still in the planning. The question uppermost for 2007 then is how will our landscape change in the coming year?
   Will the Washington Street Mall get a re-do? Voters said no to that $5 million price tag in an August referendum balking at the price and the process by which the bond ordinance was passed. A subcommittee of the Revitalization Committee recently recommended a clean-up and beautification as an interim plan to improve the look of the mall. Such things as unsightly trash cans and recycling receptacles which currently dominate the mall streetscape are part of the recommendations. Meanwhile, the committee needs to find a way to improve the mall and its infrastructure and still stay in the good graces of taxpayers like Christine Miller, who led the charge for a voter referendum and is likely to do so again.
   Will we have a new parking solution? The Revitalization Committee is tackling the problem and expected to come up with some suggestion in the coming year along with the help of the urban planning and design group Rhodeside-Harwell, hired by the city in 2006 to help improve Cape May’s streetscape.
   Will we have a brand new Convention Center or a new and improved Convention Hall serving mostly as a community center? One thing for sure, we better have something decided by this time next year or we stand to lose $3 million in Community Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) funds earmarked for Convention Hall’s reconstruction by the fall of 2008.
   And for those who were tossing around the idea of using those funds to acquire the beach Theatre complex across the street – fahgetaboutit. City Manager Lou Corea said in a recent interview that the CRDA grant can only be used to revamp or rebuild Convention Hall and no other property. The Frank family, owners of the theatre, applied to the city's Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) for a permit to demolish the 1950s structure to make way for a renovated retail area and two stories of residential condominiums. The HPC turned down the request pending further details regarding the plans. The matter was again postponed at a December HPC meeting until January giving city officials time to try and negotiate a deal with the Franks in which the movie theater is taken over by the city or a consortium of concerned parties. A meeting date for a “negotiating session” has been set for January 4 with the Franks and their attorneys, City Manager Lou Corea, Mayor Jerry Inderwies and City Solicitor Tony Monzo.
   Meanwhile the city’s Planning Board approved preliminary and final site plans for the Cape Coachman Homes project in December, which will replace the former Coachman Inn and Rusty Nail Restaurant on Beach Avenue. The property, owned by the Hober family for the past four decades, was sold to the Brothers Bashaw, Keith and Curtis, in the spring of the year. Curtis is co-owner of several Cape May properties among them, Congress Hall, the Virginia Hotel and the Sandpiper Inn. The existing three-story hotel and 190-seat restaurant will be demolished and replaced by a new three-story hotel and restaurant with the same seating capacity. A demolition date has not been set but the construction of the project is expected to take between 12 and 14 months.
   Demolition seems to be the word for 2007. A hearing for demolition and construction of a new Jetty Hotel also on Beach Avenue, has been postponed by the Planning Board until February pending action by City Council on an ordinance which has been floating before council for nearly a year, regarding split zoned properties. The Jetty Motel currently rests on land which is zoned both commercial and residential. Developers in the past have taken advantage of this loophole to build oversized condos on lots meant for single-family dwellings. Plans for the larger hotel will, once council approves the ordinance, necessitate applying for a variance.
   Earlier this year Cape May City Council adopted an ordinance slated to protect historic homes not included in the Historic District from demolition. The ordinance includes adoption of an Historic Designation List to be used by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). The move is expected to empower the HPC to prevent the demolition of historic properties outside the Historic District.
   In other areas of the city, plans for The Riveria, a 24-unit “upscale” townhouse project slated for the former Vance’s Bar site on Lafayette Street went on hold earlier this year when Cape May’s Planning Commission stopped the process because of “environmental concerns.” regarding its impact on Cape Island Creek.  The developer, Steven Jemal of SSJ Development, filed a lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court asking that the city's planning board decision be overturned stating environmental issues are the jurisdiction of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). SSJ Development bought the property for $2.69 million when the city gave up efforts to acquire it. Depending on the outcome of the lawsuit, the city could be in the driver’s seat again.
   Another thorn in City Council’s side for the 2007 year is the city’s requirement to provide affordable housing on an island in which there is little affordable housing. The city is under federal and state mandates to offer a certain number of affordable housing units in comparison to the number of new housing or commercial units built. City Council has drafted an ordinance setting up a trust for developers to contribute to in lieu of offering affordable housing in future development projects. Developers are required by law to provide one affordable housing unit for every eight units built in Cape May, or one affordable housing unit for every 25 jobs created from commercial development. As a compromise to this, City Solicitor Tony Monzo determined that the city would assess a fee of $16,000 on residential developments and $5,120 for commercial development. That money would be set aside for future affordable housing development by the city. Council recently failed to adopt the ordinance and it was referred back to the Planning Board for further consideration.
   In terms of leadership, 2007 saw two new faces after the May elections. Billmae Guest House owner and (at the time) Chamber of Commerce President Linda Steenrod as well as market research consultant David Kurkowski joined city council. Councilman David Brown chose not to run for re-election and longtime council member and former Mayor William (Jerry) Gaffney was voted out. Deputy Mayor Niels Favre regained his seat.
   It appears City Manager Lou Corea will remain at the helm throughout the 2007 fiscal year. His contract expires January 31 and just before the holiday break, city council and Corea decided, in a closed-door session, to extend his contract for three more months giving all parties a chance to address recommendations from an evaluation committee. The committee suggested more defined goals and objectives for both council and the city manager would improve the situation. The three-month extension is expected to give each party a chance to patch things up. The city manager came under some intense criticism this fall when, unbeknownst to council, members of the Cape May Beach Patrol were given their walking papers a week (or two, depending on who you spoke with) early, leaving the beaches unprotected at a time when they were still in high demand. A compromise was reached within the week, but the problem underscored the lack of communication between council and Corea.
   In West Cape May, change is in the air as well. Sixth Street Partners, developers hoping to construct a 70-unit townhouse project on Sixth Street in West Cape May, against the vociferous objections of local residents, may have found a loophole in the state and federal Affordable Housing mandates. Project engineer Vincent Orlando told planning board members that special reasons exist which should compel them to grant variances for their Sixth Street Partners' project. According to federal laws, communities must offer a certain percentage of affordable housing to their residents or would-be residents. West Cape May is obligated to come up with 23 such units by the year 2014. Sixth Street Partners has already pursued the matter in court using the argument that the borough has not met its affordable-housing obligation and should be compelled to accept their offer. West Cape May's officials maintain that the project greatly exceeds the density requirements for the zone.
   Demolition is also on the minds of borough officials. Several historic houses faced the wrecking ball in the past year and in order to at least stall the fall, commissioners voted, by a 3-0 vote an amendment to the West Cape May’s zoning ordinance to create an Historic Preservation Commission. Borough attorney Frank Corrado said the creation of an HPC would only delay demolition of a property for one year, not prevent it.
   Meanwhile, the borough is in the process of completing its third property revaluation in 6 years. Escalating property values in neighboring Cape May and a shortage of land are contributing factors in the new assessments. WCM Mayor Pam Kaithern sent residents a letter with the assessment stating that assessment has been mandated by Cape May County. In the letter, she urged residents to carefully review their assessment and to contact their state representatives regarding future property-tax reform. New Jersey has one of the highest property tax burdens in the country. She also urged residents to contact the borough’s tax office to investigate little-known property tax relief programs which are available.
   Looking for creative ways to come up with more money, West Cape May is looking into the possibility of offering two liquor licenses in the coming year. The one-time only influx of revenue from the sale of the liquor licenses could net the borough up to $750,000. An annual renewal fee would also be part of the revenue.
   Off the island, something else to look for in 2007's changing landscape, is development of the property at the Whale Watcher II, docked at the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center at 1286 Wilson Drive. The property has been approved by Lower Township for subdivision for development of two condominium complexes.
   Ponderlodge Golf Course, also in Lower Township, was the subject of headlines throughout the year.  It all began in March with a bankruptcy deadline looming. The state acquired Ponderlodge Golf Course under its Green Acres program for a purchase price of $8.4 million thus trumping Lower Township and Cape May County's efforts to purchase the property and lease it to a private concern to maintain it as a golf course and keep the leasing revenue. The purchase protects the property from developers. Meanwhile, residents got wind of the fact that the state was planning to turn the property into a nature sanctuary sans golf course and met with state officials pitching their plan to keep the bankrupted golf course as it is – a recreational facility. State officials representing the Department of Environmental Protection, now in charge of the site, had other plans, however. The site is now called the Villas Wildlife Management Area (VWMA), much to the chagrin of those who would have preferred it be named Town Bank WMA or Lower Township WMA or anything other than Villas WMA. The park offers residents walking trails and is open to bicycles, dogs on leashes and a variety of birds which have already decided to call the park home.
   Budget talks will be uppermost in the headlines in the coming weeks. Last year, Cape May City Council passed a 2006 Municipal Budget calling for a 1-cent tax increase. It was scaled back from the original plan which called for a 1.9-cent tax increase. The reduction was accomplished mainly through use of the city's surplus generated from the room tax. A 1-cent tax increase amounts to approximately $1220 on a $500,000 home.
   West Cape May also saw a 5-cent per $100 tax assessment due in part to a referendum by the voters implementing a new public trash collection in 2006.
   One final note regarding changing landscapes, we mourned the passing of entrepreneur and realtor Norman E. Dellas on February 22. The 92-year-old Dellas started Dellas Real Estate Agency in 1934 which is still owned and operated by the family. In 1947, Peter Dellas and his son Norman took over Faulkner's 5 & 10 on Washington Street and reopened under the name Dellas General Store. In 1954, they acquired the corner property and expanded the store which still stands at the corner of Decatur and Washington Street Mall. Norman leased the property in the 1960s. Norman's daughter Kim Dellas-Andrus took back the business in the fall of 2006 and is currently renovating Dellas General Store in the style which characterized the 1950s store. An April opening is in the offing.
   So, we’ll see what 2007 brings. A new Convention Center, a new parking garage, and new and improved Washington Street Mall?  New Beach Avenue condo-tels? One thing’s for sure, it will not be a dull year.