Waters Gate Marina, Long Beach Township at Odds Over Holgate Property

The fate of a Holgate marina is currently uncertain, as the owners seek to move forward with plans to build a single-family home and continue to run their business at the site, while Long Beach Township explores the possibility of acquisition of the property to “preserve and enhance public access to the waterfront for recreational boating, environmental opportunities and other public purposes,” municipal officials said this week.

Waters Gate Marina, at 128 West Osborn Ave., is situated across the street from the LBT Field Station for Marine Education and Research, at 127 West Osborn Ave.

The marina provides 24 boat slips, many for local homeowners, said Jim and Kimba Occhipinti, who have owned and operated the business for more than 20 years. The couple said the enterprise has been “a labor of love, perseverance and significant personal investment.”

In 1999, the Occhipintis entered into a contract to purchase the property there in the township’s southernmost section. “When the sellers attempted to cancel the transaction, the family fought to enforce the agreement,” the couple stated. “The case ultimately resulted in a court order requiring the sale to proceed, a decision that was affirmed on appeal.”

When the Occhipintis and their business partner took ownership, the marina was in significant disrepair. They subsequently “invested heavily in replacing deteriorated piers and addressing the failing bulkhead, which included obtaining emergency authorization from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,” the Occhipintis explained.

In 2011, the owners received approval to construct a duplex at the marina site so that the couple and their partner could live there. But Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012, and the building plans were set aside.

BAYFRONT: Waters Gate Marina provides 24 boat slips.

The Occhipintis purchased their partner’s remaining interest in the marina in 2024. The following year they applied for approval of a duplex, but were denied. Rather than contest the denial, said the Occhipintis, they “decided to build a single-family home instead and continue to operate Waters Gate Marina.”

They designed the home, and their site plan was approved by the LBT Land Use Board in May 2026 and memorialized in June, the couple noted. In July, they submitted their building permit paperwork.

In mid-August, they continued, they received a call from the municipality informing them that their building permit was ready to be picked up. During that same call, they were told the township was considering acquisition of the property through eminent domain. The Occhipintis said they were “devastated by the prospect of a taking.”

The township, on Tuesday, said it has engaged professionals to conduct due diligence into the potential appropriation of Waters Gate Marina “to advance responsible waterfront development.”

OSBORN AVENUE: The marina is situated across the street from the LBT Field Station for Marine Education and Research.

“Our interest is in preserving the few remaining open spaces within the township while increasing limited and irreplaceable public access to the waterfront,” Mayor Joseph Mancini stated. “Promoting a fully functioning public marina with necessary amenities is consistent with the preservation of the community’s maritime heritage that complements the township’s adjacent marine field station that hosts environmental education programs and other public events.

“The north end of Osborn Avenue has historically served as a location for marine activity, including when the property was operated as Buoy 77, providing a marine-related use with a public component,” Mancini added. “The township believes that maintaining and improving this type of waterfront use serves a broader community interest rather than converting the property to a single-family residence.”

Jim and Kimba Occhipinti are “seeking to stop the township’s proposed acquisition and to construct their home and maintain Waters Gate Marina and its customers.”

As Jim stated, “We spent years making the piers and bulkhead safe for our boaters. We invested in this property when it needed enormous amounts of work. We survived Sandy and continued building the business. Now, when it is finally our turn to live at the marina we worked so hard to preserve, we are facing its loss through eminent domain.”

Township officials, meanwhile, said, “Any potential acquisition will proceed in accordance with applicable law and be solely for a public purpose, not private redevelopment. If authorized, condemnation of the property would only be utilized as a last resort if the property cannot be acquired through good faith negotiations with the property owner who would be fully compensated for the fair market value of the property. Any acquisition would result in the property being permanently dedicated and preserved by way of a deed restriction for public use.”