Environmental Group Sues Over Proposed 415-Unit Community In Southern Ocean

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ — Save Barnegat Bay has filed a legal complaint challenging the Little Egg Harbor Township Planning Board’s approval of Lennar’s proposed 415-unit age-restricted development, known as Venue at Summers Corner, on Center Street, the environmental group said in a news release.

The project would clear nearly 100 acres of mature pine forest, according to Save Barnegat Bay.

“This is one of the last remaining tracts of mature forest in Little Egg Harbor,” said Peter Parrinello, President of the Four Seasons at Sea Oaks Homeowners Association. “Clearing nearly 100 acres of woods increases flooding risk and runoff pollution. It’s time to slow down and reassess density town-wide instead of approving projects one at a time.”

In the complaint, the group asks the court to review whether the Planning Board followed New Jersey planning and environmental law when it approved a major development that was never contemplated in the Township’s Master Plan.

The board approved the project before critical environmental, flooding, and planning questions were fully resolved, and relied on zoning provisions that conflict with the Township’s Master Plan and state land-use law, the complaint claims.

According to independent environmental reviews commissioned by Save Barnegat Bay, the property is home to Cope's gray treefrogs, which are endangered in New Jersey.

In recent years, developers have been targeting the Route 9 corridor for multi-unit, high-density projects, like this one, the complaint says.

“This complaint is not just about one development — all over Ocean County, planning boards are approving projects in a vacuum,” said Britta Forsberg, Executive Director of Save Barnegat Bay. “What we’re seeing along the Route 9 corridor is development outpacing planning. Our communities are not prepared, our infrastructure is strained, and the rules meant to protect residents and the environment are not being applied rigorously enough. Slowing down and revisiting our Master Plans is not anti-growth — it’s responsible governance.”