MARGATE STUDY GOAL: Have families moving in, not cashing out

By SUZANNE MARINO
Staff Writer
MARGATE -- Margate is feeling the same pinch that surrounding beach communities are feeling -- a sharp decline in the number of year-round residents.
At first blush that might seem like a panacea; with the city less crowded traffic is lighter and there are fewer people needing municipal services.
In reality the decline has city fathers worried that eventually the quality of life in Margate will be affected.
To stem the tide Margate City Commissioners are scheduled to introduce and vote on a measure this week to hire Parker and Partners to create a strategy to attract the well-heeled to Margate.
“I think we need to appeal to people in the Cherry Hill, Moorestown and the Mount Laurel areas and other affluent communities that Margate is great place to raise their family,” said Commissioner John Swift.
The exodus across the bridge has been fueled in the past four years by the spike in property values on Absecon Island. With the average price of a home exceeding $400,000, most young couples are unable to afford a home, and families that live here are finding they can get more home and more property for less money by moving to the Mainland.
The schools built to accommodate nearly 900 have fewer than 600 enrolled, but that does not cut down on the need for teachers, public works employees, police or firefighters. It simply elevates the cost per capita to provide those services because there are fewer people.
For $2,500 Parker will meet with city employees and administration to formulate a plan detailing who will and how to spread the word that Margate is a wonderful vacation spot, but also a great place to plant roots and raise a family.
Parker takes a multipronged approach to its marketing campaigns, combining television and print media, but Chris Parker, company president, will keep a clean slate until meeting with Margatians and formulating an up-close-and-personal sketch of the city.
The Margate Business Coalition, represented at the Margate Commission meeting by Howard Seiden, the owner of Casel’s Supermarket, thanked the commissioners for endorsing a plan to bring more people to Margate.
“It is not just our schools that are feeling the pinch; our business community needs year-round residents for their businesses to be profitable,” said Mayor Vaughn Reale.
After Parker completes her survey she will come before the commissioners with a plan of action and a fee for implementing it, over and above the $2,500. At that point the commissioners will decide how to proceed.
They will not be obligated for any additional costs if the city chooses not to approve the proposal.
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