Brick Council Holding Traders Cove Hearing Tonight

BRICK, NJ — Plans to construct a restaurant at Brick's Traders Cove Marina and Park will be the subject of a public hearing at a special Brick Township Council meeting tonight.

The meeting, set for 6 p.m. tonight, Monday, Sept. 19, at Brick's municipal building, is to collect comments to provide them to the Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres program for review. The DEP does not have a formal role in the meeting.

Brick Township Mayor John Ducey views the proposed restaurant at Traders Cove as the final piece to dealing with "an inherited mess," which township officials believe will help offset the millions that taxpayers in Brick Township are paying for the property, he says.

The proposal faces intense opposition from Save Barnegat Bay, an environmental organization whose mission is to protect and restore Barnegat Bay. Traders Cove sits on a piece of land near the foot of the Mantoloking Bridge overlooking the bay.

"This proposed facility is a bad deal for almost everybody," Save Barnegat Bay president Willie deCamp wrote in an opinion piece published by the Asbury Park Press.

The Brick Township Council awarded a redevelopment contract to Chefs International, which operates several restaurants in the area, including 9th Avenue Pier in Belmar and the Lobster Shanty.

Save Barnegat Bay contends a restaurant is not permitted under Green Acres rules.

An artist's rendering of the plan for a restaurant at Traders Cove Marina in Brick. Karen Wall photo