Council approves Traders Cove plan

Save Barnegat Bay opposes portions of redevelopment law

BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer

Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis and Save Barnegat Bay President William deCamp have different takes on how a recent Traders Cove redevelopment meeting went.

“I thought it was very positive,” Acropolis said.

“I felt like the skunk at a garden party,” deCamp said.

The two once worked “shoulder to shoulder” to keep condominiums out of the Traders Cove marina off Mantoloking Road.

But Acropolis, deCamp and Save Barnegat Bay now disagree on portions of the redevelopment plan for the run-down marina off Mantoloking Road.

The original plans called for a marina, open space and a boat museum. That’s still the goal. But now township officials are looking for a redeveloper to build and operate the marina, instead of Brick.

Michelle Donato, Save Barnegat Bay’s attorney, came to the microphone at the Nov. 27 Township Council meeting and said it was with “considerable amount of chagrin” that the nonprofit group opposes the plan.

“Save Barnegat Bay has been working with the township for many years,” Donato said.

The group objects to the section of the redevelopment plan that allows up to 193 boat slips to be built, instead of the existing 139 slips. Save Barnegat Bay also opposes having a private redeveloper, not the township, run a marina, she said.

“You’re selling it to one individual who will be operating a private marina,” she said. “That’s not what we thought were working for all these years. This site is simply going to look like some massive marina. The developer will be in control of this site. I don’t think that’s planning. Since when have you known a developer who comes in and doesn’t build up to the maximum?”

Donato asked council members not to adopt the redevelopment plan that evening.

“I know you have financial issues,” she said. “We would like to work with you as we have for over 20 years. We ask that you not adopt this evening.”

But Township Council members voted 6 to 0 in favor of the plan’s adoption.

“This is not done by any means,” Council President Michael Thulen said after the vote. “It’s just one step on the ladder.”

Councilman Anthony Matthews and Acropolis both objected to one resident’s comments that the township had too little open space and hadn’t held enough meetings on Traders Cove.

“This plan was not something thrown together,” Matthews said. “To say our staff just threw this together is not fair to them. We ask a lot of questions and we do a lot of research.”

Donato repeatedly questioned why the redevelopment plan called for 193 boat slips.

“We don’t dispute the fact it should be a marina,” she said. “I think this is a mistake in its current form. It’s written more like a wish list than an ordinance.”

Councilwoman Ruthanne Scaturro said the township spent years trying to put the plan together and years talking to people.

“Life is full of compromises,” she said. “I don’t get it. I don’t get how 193 slips takes this to a whole other level.”

“It’s 20 percent of the space,” Acropolis said. “How can you say it’s a big marina and a small park?”

The state Coastal Areas Facilities Review Acts (CAFRA) permit allows up to 193 slips on the site, Acropolis said.

“It wasn’t something the developer demanded or the council pulled out of thin air,” he said. “It’s a start on the process. It’s not an end. We’ve been stagnant for too long. Let’s move this forward.”

Resident George Scott, who often peppers township officials with financial questions, said he was “baffled” by some residents’ critical comments.

“Getting to this point just didn’t happen tonight,” he said. “I don’t think the township is losing control, you built in control.”

DeCamp said after the meeting he wants Brick officials to be “true to their word.”

He described a private Nov. 28 meeting that involved interested redevelopers, township officials and Save Barnegat Bay as “frustrating.”

“Most of the 30 people at that meeting were too casual for my taste,” he said. “It was our definite understanding that Brick, like Save Barnegat Bay, would be bringing money to the table. Now they are trying to renege and it’s very upsetting.”

The 2005 court ruling said the township would acquire the Traders Cove property, not what would eventually be done with the site, Acropolis said.

“We never talked about the size of the slips,” he said. “The mediation was about the purchase of the property, period. I’m a little disappointed he would say we were reneging on the agreement, when there wasn’t an agreement.”

Acropolis said he thought the Nov. 28 meeting was “very positive.”

“We are going to work together to get to a solution for everyone,” he said. “Does that mean everyone’s ultimate goal will be realized? Probably not. Everybody will have to compromise a little bit, except the residents. We did re-emphasize our point as township officials that our ultimate responsibility is to our shareholders – the residents.”

The redevelopment plan is “just a zone,” Acropolis said.

People need to take a deep breath, take a step back and say we are all here for the right reasons,” he said. “It’s a balance between environmental, recreational and financial. Those three entities have to come together. Making incendiary comments in the newspaper doesn’t help the situation.”