$8.55M Purchase Of Breton Woods Property On Brick, County Agendas

BRICK, NJ — The plan for Ocean County and Brick Township to collaborate on the purchase of the Breton Woods property for open space is set for hearings before the governing bodies this week, the next step in the process of protecting the property from residential development.

The proposed open space purchase of the 31.6-acre parcel in the Breton Woods section of Brick was first announced by Ocean County officials on Jan. 25 after the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee gave its support to the $8.55 million purchase.

Under the proposed purchase, Ocean County would pay $6,840,000 and Brick Township would pay $1,710,000 of the cost, with both seeking grant funding from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres Program.

The Brick Township Council is set for a public hearing and vote during Tuesday's council meeting on its ordinance to spend $1.8 million for its share of the purchase. The council meeting is set for 7 p.m. at the township municipal building, 401 Chambers Bridge Road.

The Ocean County Board of Commissioners has a public hearing set for the board's 4 p.m. meeting on Wednesday at the county's administration building, 101 Hooper Ave. in Toms River, for its $6.84 million share.

D.R. Horton of Mount Laurel has agreed to sell its rights to buy the property, after nearly a year before the Brick Township Planning Board presenting an application to build 59 homes at the site.

The property is owned by Visitation Roman Catholic Church. Officials with the Diocese of Trenton in March 2022 said selling the property will relieve the church of $25,000 in property taxes on the parcel that sits between Drum Point Road and Mantoloking Road. The diocese said the church also hopes to use proceeds from the land sale for a "Faith Formation Center" to serve youth members of the church, to supplement money in the church's capital campaign fund for that project.