I want to amplify a December 7 press release that I haven't seen picked up in the media yet.

The American Littoral Society, which is dedicated to protecting New Jersey's coast from harm, has warned the Office of Smart Growth and State Planning Commission that development plans in Toms River, NJ threaten the fragile Barnegat Bay. The State Planning Commission has granted Toms River a fourth extension -- another six months -- to gain State approval for their development plans.

But the American Littoral Society is concerned that the extra time granted to Toms River is diffusing the issue of safeguarding the coast. The State's message to Toms River has effectively shifted from no development without explicit State permission to something more like proceed carefully, a highly subjective concept, especially given the additional leeway afforded to developers by this year's NJ "Permit Extension Act."

"It is increasingly looking like Toms River's objective in this [permitting] process is to simply authorize more intensive development, without putting in place reasonable, necessary safeguards for Barnegat Bay," said the Society's letter to the State. If the Township hasn't significantly improved environmental safeguards within the six month extension it has just received, the Society will ask the State to terminate the approval process.

Helen Henderson, Atlantic Coast Project Manager for the Society, said, "[Toms River] representatives have said they do not want to cause any further degradation to Barnegat Bay, but unfortunately, we have yet to see any action put behind those words. We want to see work on protective ordinances and stormwater nutrient reduction efforts." A lack of new Township ordinances, loose development stanards, and stormwater runoff through developed sites damanges ecosystems, especially in fragile areas such as Barnegat Bay, and ultimately causes human health problems.

I called Toms River offices this afternoon to discuss the permitting process, and will follow-up when office hours resume on Monday. Residents near Toms River and around Barnegat Bay concerned about how the Toms River plans could damage the Bay should call or email Mayor Thomas Kelaher and Council President Gregory McGuckin.


Other Troubling "Development" Issues Along the Coast: Yesterday I noted another initiative by the American Littoral Society -- to block Wal-Mart from building a Little Egg Harbor store that would run roughshod over a fragile environment. The Society says that Wal-Mart's application to the DEP "is extremely flawed and does not protect threatened and endangered species, coastal special areas, critical wildlife habitats, and steep slopes as required by DEP regulations," in the words of the Press of Atlantic City article . There are many other problems with Wal-Mart's application as well, says the Society. Ultimately, a Wal-Mart in that fragile, low-lying location would impoverish an environment that would otherwise benefit people and their families for generations. Little Egg Harbor Township officials are listed here.

Keep Track of "Development" Permit Requests.

I asked Helen Henderson today about an easy way to track development permit requests in New Jersey. A tireless defender of our shared environment, she said cheerfully, "Just ask me!" She also referred me to the DEP's twice-monthly Bulletin, located here. The report summarizes permit requests to DEP departments, and it's pretty easy to see who wants to build what, and where. (For instance, the December 3 bulletin shows that Wal-Mart is asking permission to build a 203,827 sq ft store in Pohatcong.) My sense is that more people and community groups should review this document and website to identify permit requests in fragile areas that could have health repercussions for people and the ecosystems we live in. Clearly, many development requests don't take full account of the health risks, yet go unchallenged.

Helen Henderson stated it aptly to me: "At a time when staff at DEP has been drastically reduced, I think it's more important than ever for non-governmental organizations and members of the public to be aware of development proposals in their communities."

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