Pine Beach residents fight to save 100-year-old wooded area from development
They say the state wants to use the land to meet future housing needs.
More Stories
Residents in one Ocean County community are fighting to save their woods. They say it’s the last piece of protected green space in the community.
The community is trying to save the over 100-year-old woods along Merion Avenue in Pine Beach.
Dot Kulina has lived in Pine Beach for over three decades.
"It’s the last little piece of land we have not only for those majestic trees, but all the wildlife and ecosystem that’s in there," Kulina said.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s land use board meeting, residents like Bonnie Foerst took to the streets collecting signatures and garnering support to save the woods.
"This is our little Mayberry. I don’t know who’s coming in and taking over, but someone is, and they just want to take it all away. It’s all about money. I don’t know where anybody’s heart is anymore," Foerst said.
On June 3, the town’s land use board held a special meeting and voted 4-2 on the Amended Master Plan. According to the land use board, the master plan must be updated every 10 years.
"Since that was voted as an approval, the affordable housing attorney sent over that draft to the state. However, it was not formalized and endorsed by the council," said Mark Rohmeyer, board engineer and planner.
In a statement earlier in the day, Mayor Lawrence Cueno said in part, “Pine Beach would love to preserve this land. The state wants us to use it to meet a future housing need.”
The mayor attended the Tuesday night meeting and reiterated wanting to save the wooded area.
"We want to preserve this; we’re trying to do what’s best for the town. And sometimes what’s best for the town is between a rock and a hard place," Cueno said.
Residents who oppose the land usage master plan, say they’re not against affordable housing, they say it’s about preserving the woods and working to find other solutions.
"We have many other options. As you can see, across the street from me, that’s an odd lot that wasn’t buildable, and they gave it variance, and now the guy can build on it. And he’s only 10 feet off my neighbor’s house. So, there are a lot of options if you want to pursue it and do the work. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings and this fat lady ain’t singin’," Kulina said.
