Council urged to buy Beverly Beach’s ‘gem’

Property is Brick’s last undeveloped tract on
the Manasquan River
BY KARL VILACOBA
Staff Writer

BRICK — Beverly Beach neighborhood residents have called on the Township Council to redouble its efforts in acquiring the last significant undeveloped property on the Manasquan River in Brick.

Residents describe the Beaton Property — long rated among Brick’s highest-priority open space targets — as a one-of-a-kind habitat for river otters, turtles, eagles, swans and other species of wildlife. The peninsula juts from Beverly Beach Road into the Manasquan River, and is flanked by Sawmill Creek and another stream coming from Godfrey Lake.

But the property may soon be developed as a handful of luxury homes, and township officials last week were not confident they would be able to stop it. Its rising price tag, small acreage relative to other open space targets, and an unwilling seller have left the over five-year-long negotiations for the property at an impasse, according to council President Stephen Acropolis.

Although site plans have not been officially submitted to either of Brick’s land use boards, Assistant Planner Tara Paxton said she met with property owner David Beaton and an engineer to discuss development proposals for the property. The property has an uplands area slightly over 10 acres and is located in an R-75 (7,500-square-foot lots) zone. Taking roads and undevelopable wetlands into account, Paxton estimated the owner could apply to build about 30 homes, but has proposed an eight-lot subdivision — six slated for luxury homes, and two that would be dedicated to the township. One of those would be a waterfront area with public access permitted.

Acropolis said he’d like to add the property to the township’s open space roster, but the low density of the plan places less urgency on the township to pursue the tract. The roughly $2 million being demanded for the tract, he said, would be better spent on the Buzzi and Diocese properties, Drum Point Road, which comprise about 90 acres of undeveloped land.

But the small scale of the proposal offered little comfort to a group of Beverly Beach residents at the June 22 council meeting, who collectively asked what they could do to help.

"This is a gem. It’s probably the only remaining access in town to the Manasquan River," said Beverly Beach Road resident Arthur Maihack. "Being a peninsula between two waterways makes it something that cannot be replaced."

Councilman Frederick Under-wood encouraged the group to collect signatures in favor of the purchase.

"I really think it would be a shame for Brick Township to lose such a beautiful piece of property," added Councilwoman Kathy Russell.

A July 2003 report placed the Beaton Property among the 11 most-sought-after open space targets in Brick. The site was described as environmentally sensitive, and an ideal location to extend the Sawmill tract bike trail to the Manasquan River. The report noted that the township had been expanding its holdings in the Herbertsville Road area, including the Dealaman farm, Holliday and Havens properties. And in October 2002, the council spent $527,500 to purchase two 1-acre tracts near the intersection of Herbertsville Road and Maple Avenue.

About $5.3 million was bonded to purchase the priority-list properties as part of last year’s Phase II capital budget, but the township has not yet acquired any of them. Many of the tracts, like the Beaton,Buzzi and Trenton Diocese properties, have been held up in negotiations because of escalating real estate values.

Others were sought to block developments along the Metedeconk, but their stocks have dropped because of the river’s pending Category 1 classification, which would guard them with the state’s strictest waterfront building standards. The Beaton Property would not be protected by C1 building standards, Paxton said.

Brick Business Administrator Scott MacFadden told residents he was sure the township could obtain Green Acres matching funds for the Beaton property, if a deal was ever reached. But without a willing seller, the only remaining alternative is condemnation, "one of those things we don’t take lightly."

"Please, just try from the heart to do the best you can. When it’s gone, it’s gone," said South Beverly Drive resident Gloria Vogel.