Wedding Venue Proposal Hearing Continues In Brick

BRICK, NJ — Testimony is scheduled to resume Wednesday night on a controversial proposal to build an upscale wedding venue on Mantoloking Road overlooking Barnegat Bay.

The hearing on the proposal for Vilamoura at Barnegat Bay Marina, which operates at the site of the former Winter Yacht Basin on the southern side of Mantoloking Road, is set for 7 p.m. before the Brick Township Board of Adjustment. The hearing is in the main council meeting room at the municipal building, 401 Chambers Bridge Road.

Vilamoura, which brothers Barry Maurillo and Joe Maurillo are hoping to operate, would be 78 feet tall and is described as an elegant wedding venue with waterfront views that usually are available only to members of a yacht club.

Testimony is expected to focus on traffic, with the traffic engineer for the applicant set to speak. In a brief preview at the Aug. 21 hearing, part of the proposal includes adding a turning lane on Mantoloking Road that would serve both Vilamoura and Traders Cove.

Residents have expressed significant concerns about traffic along Mantoloking Road, which is one lane in each direction and has become an increasingly congested route in the last 15 years. The venue also is opposed by Mantoloking Borough officials and Mantoloking residents due to the size of the facility, which the Maurillo brothers have described as an elegant facility similar to what you would find at a yacht club, but one that would be accessible to everyone.

The plans for the venue include a restaurant, a boat maintenance building, a swimming pool and 700 parking spaces.

In July, the zoning board ruled the project did not need a use variance to operate as a banquet hall, after lengthy testimony and arguments from those opposing the facility.

Previous reporting:

• 4-Story Restaurant, Banquet Hall Proposed At Brick Marina Site
• Proposed Wedding Facility At Brick Marina: Hearing Report
• Proposed Wedding Facility At Brick Marina Opposed In Mantoloking
• Brick Zoners: Proposed Wedding Facility Needs Height Variance

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