Read Save Barnegat Bay’s letter to Mayor Scarpelli supporting repeal of the Planned Residential Waterfront Community (PRWC).
906-B Grand Central Avenue
Lavallette, NJ 08735
April 27, 2002
Hon. Joseph Scarpelli &
Brick Township Council
401 Chambersbridge Road
Brick, NJ 08723
Dear Mayor Scarpelli and Council,
I am writing on behalf of Save Barnegat Bay, which is supported annually by about 1200 families, a large number of whom reside in Brick Township, to strongly endorse the proposed repeal of the Planned Residential Waterfront Community Ordinance.
We applaud the Council for considering this zoning change. We believe that repeal of this ordinance would have numerous beneficial effects:
– Repeal of PRWC would help prevent Brick’s waterfront, which at 53 miles may be the longest in the state of New Jersey, from becoming urbanized. In so doing it would help prevent an excessive amount of stormwater runoff from entering Barnegat Bay. This would be of benefit to all who enjoy or make their livelihood fishing, swimming, or boating on Barnegat Bay.
– Repeal of PRWC would prevent high density developments from being inappropriately sited next to the wildlife refuges and parks that the Township and Save Barnegat Bay have worked cooperatively to create over the years.
– Repeal of PRWC would prevent more traffic from being put on our roads and would help maintain the aesthetic beauty of our area.
– An additional reason for repealing this zoning is that as an “overlay zone”, PRWC has the undesirable effect of being able to be dropped down in almost any waterfront neighborhood in a way that violates the reasonable expectations of nearby residents and
businesses. It is our opinion that overlay zoning is inherently bad planning.
– Finally, elimination of this ordinance enhances the possibility of waterfront areas being available for all residents in the form of parks, wildlife refuges, and marinas, rather than being available only to those who can afford waterfront housing.
Repeal of the PRWC ordinance will continue Brick Township’s longstanding role as a leader in protecting the Barnegat Bay environment. Please let us know how we can be of assistance to the Township of Brick in taking this progressive step.
Sincerely,
William deCamp, Jr., President
Save Barnegat Bay
View a map of Brick’s 53 miles of waterfront with marina sites.