Laurie Ann Vendetti is one of the women celebrated this Women’s History Month for her dedication to a cause. While fiercely defending her home, she led a group of 36 neighbors across three small blocks in a collective fight against unbridled government overreach in the name of “economic development,” pioneering MTOTSA (an acronym for Marine Terrace, Ocean Terrace, and Seaview Avenue) in a decade-long fight for self-preservation.
Could this happen to me too?
Many homeowners (and many real estate agents) never think about future prominent property issues while creating the perfect offer to acquire their dream home, but the deal doesn’t necessarily end after the sale. Staying up to date with your clients’ future development projects is not only a great way to stay in touch, but an even better way to continue building and growing your business in the regions you currently sell.
This article takes a closer look at real-world examples of government overreach in prominent areas. It is typically a lower middle class neighborhood with older homes with great (water) views. History sets the stage for the future, and it’s up to community residents to actively participate in how their elected officials play a role in their own backyards.
Homeowner turned activist
Vendetti never intended to become an activist, but he heard an early call for public service as an Amtrak police officer, who later worked on complaints for injured employees and passengers.
“It takes a coalition and a special person who can provide leadership as part of a ‘mosaic of people’ joining the fight,” said Scott Block, president and chief counsel of the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit public interest law firm that mentored Lori and defended MTOTSA. “Lori Vendetti has won the right to lead.”
Block summed up Vendetti as being principled, doing the right thing for the right reasons rather than personal gain, righting wrongs, having a gentle disposition, and being young enough to rally older crowds with his kindness, and an indispensable presence.
house by the sea
As a child, Vendetti knew exactly how to spend his summer vacation. On the beach, or as New Jerseyans call it, “down the coast.” A city boy who grew up in Newark, Vendetti and his family traded the city heat for the sea breeze at their summer home at 38 Ocean Terrace in Long Branch. This address and neighborhood would become important in the years to come.
The neighborhood was a patchwork of 37 modest but well-kept homes in a close-knit community where the lines between family and friends were blurred.
The home, built by Vendetti’s father in 1960, sat on just 11 acres. What it lacked in land, it made up for in location. 3rd house from the sea, the beach is part of the world and the views were amazing.
Vendetti’s truck driver father started work at 4 a.m. to pay for the summer resort, and her mother was eventually uprooted from their home in the city to make Ocean Terrace a year-round home.
once in a lifetime chance
In 1995, Vendetti had the opportunity to buy a house across the street, feeling the “generational pull” of Long Branch and being able to stay close to his parents after they retired.
The owners, friends of the Vendetti family, knew it was time to sell when their grandmother, the family matriarch, became ill and could no longer maintain the house, but losing the house was a huge blow.
Although Ms. Vendetti was not the highest bidder, the house became hers with the understanding that her family could come back and stay in the house every summer so that her grandmother’s livelihood would not be disrupted as long as she lived. Vendetti, selfishly, quickly agreed to the terms.
The new owner, Mr. Vendetti, never told his grandmother during his annual homecoming that the house was no longer his. When asked the question, “Lori, does my husband know that you mow the lawn?” Vendetti would say with a wry smile, “Yes, Mr. Rossi, your husband allows it.” It was Vendetti’s way of “giving back” the house they had given her.
Government self-righteousness: The MTOTSA battle begins
Just a few months after Mr. Vendetti took ownership of the house “across the street,” the city of Long Branch enacted a “redevelopment zone” that included plans to bulldoze a three-block area for the developer’s luxury condominiums.
By designating the area as a “blighted” area, the city planned to circumvent the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s Land Title Act, which provides the government’s right to take private land such as bridges and highways for public use, even though many of the homes are in good condition.
They stood by and watched as a “tsunami” of homes swept through their neighborhood, as bulldozer-fueled developers seized private seaside land to create a veritable “playground for the wealthy,” and a terrifying undercurrent of conflicting political and administrative interests developed.
A fire department property inspection began and classified the home as OK, Fair, or Poor. Not a single home was given an OK or Fair rating. All were considered “plague”.
Institute of Justice puts Vendetti on the map
The Institute for Justice taught MTOTSA how to fight through grassroots organizing, including rallies and national coverage on FOX and other networks.
Lead attorney Block, who continued to monitor MTOTSA, took the MTOTSA case all the way to the Supreme Court, resulting in a stunning victory for homeowners.
MTOTSA land is not for sale!
Vendetti’s steely determination, captured in the YouTube video “I’m Lorie Ann Vendetti, This is My Home,” is no different from other brave women in history like Crystal Lee Sutton, Erin Brockovich, and Susette Kelo, whose “Little Pink House” changed American law and helped win MTOTSA.
After the Supreme Court decision, most MTOTSA executives were suffering from a new heavy tax burden. But development is no longer mandatory, creating a legitimate window for investors and homeowners to negotiate sales prices based on fair market value.
NPR’s Anthony Brooks called Vendetti “a fighter from day one” in August 2005, saying, “No amount of money can move us. And people think there’s a price for everyone. There’s no price for our group.”
Vendetti’s story is one of resilience.
Today, Vendetti and three of her neighbors are the only people left in her waterfront home, but the impact of her work continues. Since she led the community’s fight, 40 states have enacted stricter laws governing prominent areas.
“People now know about us, not just in New Jersey, but all over the country. We have become a force for freedom. Thank you for helping me fight for freedom,” she says proudly.
[Author’s note: Lori Ann Vendetti and Inman writer Annette DeCicco share familial roots in Long Branch, New Jersey, discovering during the interview that their great-grandfathers were brothers.]
Annette DeCicco is a real estate broker and growth development director for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Jordan Baris Realty in northern New Jersey. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Instagram.
