A Six-Point Vision for Cape Island

Four to five decades ago, the City of Cape May was suffering from age, and properties could be purchased for a song. As a result, many people bought grand old Victorians and turned them into B&Bs. Their efforts, along with other entrepreneurs, breathed new life into the city, creating the jewel we know today. 
Nothing stands still; it is either improving or declining. The regeneration Cape May experienced at that time is now ripe for a new burst of energy. To that end, Curtis Bashaw, a long-time Cape May visionary businessman, spoke in the Cape May Elementary auditorium Aug. 21. He presented six ideas for the betterment of Cape Island to a gathering of community people assembled by The Taxpayers Association of Cape May. I attended that meeting because planning is of enormous interest to me and the Cape Issues group, of which I am a member.
Here is what he said in edited and paraphrased form:
I have had people tell me that I am a pathological optimist. It is based upon “Imagineering” — marrying the magic with the planning. It is thinking ahead and allowing for vision, dreams and ideas to percolate and see what takes root. That is the context of my vision for Cape May. I want to imagine a future for this area. When I talk about this I do it in the context of Cape Island. I think that Cape May, West Cape May, Cape May Point, Lower Township, south of the canal, as one place.
We need each other.  How do we pull together? It’s impossible, right?
I love Mohammed Ali’s quote. Whenever anyone says that something is impossible, I read it: “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
The people in my office know not to use the word impossible. That just makes me all the more determined to prove them wrong. 
1. Housing. We need to target and rebuild a year-round population.
What are we going to do to encourage year-round housing, to encourage people to move back to this Island? We have in my  organization probably 60 people who earn more than $55,000 a year; none of them live here. It is sad.
Here is some out-of-the-box thinking on this. We have a housing authority with two sites. One has a one-story building and the other has a two-story building. They are 50 years old or more, fully depreciated. Why not combine them on one site with three stories and free up a site in the middle of town where we could do something like Block Island did to create year-round housing for people who work here? What would it be like to have 200 more families living on this island to help our grocery store not go away; to help our post office not be moved to North Cape May; to help our pharmacy stay here; to help our churches and our bars. We need people to move back.
What if we used density as our friend? Maybe we allow for more houses. We want to build a community, right? Maybe there is a way to give enough entitlements, with the proper planning that we could get the people living back on the island.  The goal should be 200 in 10 years. Council should review best practices in other communities. There are plenty of places which have the problem much worse than we do, and there are models that we can learn from. 
2. Schools. We need to preserve excellent educational opportunities, and we need to solve an old problem. I think it is high time that we merged these Cape May and West Cape May elementary schools. If we don’t, the state is going to take away both of them and we’re not going to have one school south of the canal. And if we want to solve the regional problem, we say to Regional, give us back seventh and eighth grades. Now we have K through 8 on our island, but we are “all in” for the high school. Let’s put this behind us. We save some money by merging and by taking back seventh and eighth,  and we will make the best school in southern New Jersey, and that is going to make people want to live here. 
3. Economy. We have to protect and grow our economy. We have to get past this residential and business divide. Our economy is more fragile than you think. Anyone who thinks things go on forever needs to look at Atlantic City. Now, do you know what is happening to the residential tax base there? Property taxes are almost as much as it costs to buy a house. It is very important that we preserve a strong economy.
Cape May needs to send a signal that we are open for business, with a simple permitting process. We can’t scare the bejesus out of every kid who wants to open a sandwich shop. We need them. Part of it is a zoning review.
If we had a fire like this town had in 1878, and lost 30-some acres, you could not rebuild our historic district with the zoning as it is written. We need to write the zoning to be what we are and what we want to be. It is time for a comprehensive review. 
4 and 5. Branding and Enhanced Public Spaces. We need to manage our brand. Aesthetics matter. Our public spaces, our signage; our marketing, our pamphlets, our website, even our public-works employees’ uniforms. Why? All speaks to the psyche of a place? They say who we are.
We don’t need to criticize. That is why I started the Fund for Cape May which has raised $200,000. The next Ice Ball is Feb 5. The turnout for these events shows that the people want attractive public spaces and are willing to help; and so are the businesses.  Our goal is to be partners with the city.
6. Transportation.  Cape May is congested for six weeks.  What if we had a car-free zone for six weeks, like in Europe, with bollards where only the residents can pass. Maybe it is small at first.  We did it on the mall. We were one of the first towns in America to have a car-free zone.
What if we created bike trails around Cape Island that allowed you to go from one place to another safely, so even the kids could ride their bikes to that newly merged school in West Cape May?
To accomplish things, we have to go up the ladder so we can see things from a higher elevation. We must be gracious and civil, and hear a new idea before we shoot it down. We need to take a long view.
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As Carl Sandburg famously said, “Nothing happens unless first we dream.” It is time to envision a future, and do as Bashaw says: Let these ideas percolate and add your own. Standing still is not an option; those who try that slide backward.