Breton Woods Will Be Saved: Ocean County, Brick To Pay $8.55M To Preserve Open Space

BRICK, NJ — A proposal to purchase a 31.8-acre parcel in the Breton Woods section of Brick and preserve it as open space has been approved by the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee, officials announced Wednesday night.

The proposal now goes to the Ocean County Board of Commissioners for a public hearing before the county can give final approval of the proposed purchase.

D.R. Horton of Mount Laurel, which has had an application before the Brick Township Planning Board to build 59 homes on the parcel off Laurel Avenue, has accepted a negotiated offer of $8,550,000, county officials said.

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 county's announcement said.

The public hearing is anticipated to be held during the commissioners' March 1 meeting, set for 4 p.m. at the Ocean County Administration Building, 101 Hooper Ave. in Toms River.

"This property meets the requirements of the county’s open space program and will be a benefit to the residents of Brick Township and Ocean County," said Commissioner Virginia E. Haines, who is the liaison to the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee.

"Certainly, this purchase answers the concerns of the many residents that encouraged the preservation of the land," said Joseph H. Vicari, director of the board of commissioners.

Haines said the proposal received extensive discussion and review.

"The site consists of over 30 acres of mature, upland, oak and pine forest," Haines said. "The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has identified the site as an area of special concern for the Eastern box turtle and it also serves as an important migratory bird habitat."

"Existing trails on this site have been enjoyed by surrounding residents and in partnership with Brick Township, the site will be permanently preserved for the enjoyment of the public," Haines said.

Preservation of the site also protects a groundwater recharge area and prevents further development and stormwater runoff that would impact the environmentally sensitive Metedeconk River and Barnegat Bay, county officials said.

"This is a great accomplishment," Brick Township Mayor John G. Ducey said Thursday morning. "Our Brick Open Space Savers (BOSS) group of volunteers made this property our priority for saving for open space. We continued to plug along when things looked bleak. Determination and willpower paid off."

"This was an encouraging experience to know that the residents of Brick wanted to protect the environment and trees and do not mind tax dollars being used for this global purpose," he said. "The rest of the world may be a 'Me First' situation but here in Brick NJ and Ocean County, saving the environment for future generations despite the immediate cost of tax dollars shows the enlightenment of our residents."

The hearing on D.R. Horton's application to build 59 homes at the site, a parcel that had been owned by Visitation Roman Catholic Church, began in March 2022, but stalled amid a debate about stormwater management plans for the site.

Horton's professionals wanted to use pervious pavement (also known as permeable pavement) for the development's streets, which would be turned over to Brick Township for maintenance responsibilities. Elissa Commins, Brick Township's engineer, opposed the plan saying it did not conform to state land use regulations for residential developments. The permeable pavement requires special equipment for maintenance and extra care during plowing operations, Commins said during the hearings. Read more: Breton Woods Homes Proposal: Pavement Plan Remains Sticking Point

In December at the most recent hearing held on the application, Commins expressed frustration that DR Horton's professionals had not submitted updated plans for the site that reflected changes they had agreed to make during previous hearings, including ones before the Ocean County Planning Board. But a continuation date had not been set at that hearing.

The announcement from county officials about the proposed agreement says Brick Township would turn 6 acres of the Breton Woods parcel into a playground adjacent to Osbornville Elementary School.

"The township has also committed to maintaining the entire site through a maintenance agreement with the county," the announcement said.

"Ocean County appreciates Brick Township’s interest in partnering with us on this acquisition," Vicari said. "We are pleased that we can purchase the property and keep it as open space forever. I appreciate the efforts of Brick Township to develop six acres to benefit the local school children."

"I want to thank the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust, the town council, the County Commissioners and the Brick Open Space Savers for all of their hard work to preserve the land," Ducey said.

Note: This article has been updated with comment from Brick Mayor John G. Ducey.

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