Veterans Housing Development Moving Forward In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — Plans to construct a "Veterans Village" in Bayville are moving forward, officials shared at a recent Township Council meeting.

Non-profit organization Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity that supports Gold Star and fallen first responder families, went before the Berkeley Township Zoning Board of Adjustment last month to seek approval of the 99-unit apartment complex and 24 one-story single family homes on Sloop Creek Road. It was approved, and local veterans and supporters have voiced how thrilled they are to have such a complex in Bayville - the first of its kind in all of New Jersey.

Councilman Jim Byrnes, a veteran himself, said it would be "a great thing in town."

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The development will only be for military veterans. The three-story building will have a medical facility on the first level and a recreational hall.

It will have its own 24/7 security and sanitation, so there's "really no burden on us as taxpayers," said Mayor John Bacchione.

"It's just something that we thought was a good idea," Bacchione said. "I haven't gotten one negative response yet from anybody."

There's no groundbreaking date yet for the project, but Bacchione said once there is, "everybody is invited to come."

"It's the first one in the state of New Jersey, and it's happening in Bayville, Berkeley Township," he said. "So when you think we're not on the map, we are."