Lacey Looks To Move Forward Strategically, Officials Say

LACEY, NJ — While land use and development has been the subject of controversy for the past several years in Lacey Township, it's not likely to go away any time soon.

And amid recent news in Ocean County including the proposed Ciba-Geigy settlement in Toms River, the county's purchase of the Breton Woods parcel in Brick and the approval of a synagogue in Jackson, officials are saying that the township has to grow and move forward, but looks to do so in a strategic manner.

Growth is inevitable in Lacey, Township Committee members said, but there are ways to move the township forward with proper land use.

While Lacey will continue to grow, it will not be as rapidly as in the 90s and the first decade of the century, said Mayor Timothy McDonald. According to him, census data shows that from 2010 to 2020, the township grew by about 2,000 people. "That's it," he said.

"So we're going to grow, but it's going to be very small and very strategic," McDonald said.

"My time and energy is best spent trying to move Lacey Township forward," said Deputy Mayor Steven Kennis, who brought up the three recent land use stories at a recent Township Committee meeting.

Kennis said it was important that the land was developed properly, referencing the news, and that there was foresight that goes into these decisions "because they can have long-lasting implications for the township."

One way of moving forward he brought up was the proposed new municipal complex and indoor recreation center. McDonald confirmed at the meeting that no decision had been made on this yet. Read more: Proposed New Municipal Complex Draws Ire From Lacey Residents

Committeeman Mark Dykoff added that in cases like the county buying the Breton Woods parcel to preserve, the developer has to be willing to agree.

"We tried that here in town," he said. "We were really hoping to get a possible solution but it just didn't work out."

But the Committee does the best they can, Dykoff said.

"What we're trying to do is to strategically set ourselves up not for the next 10 years, but for the next 50 years," McDonald said. The governing body 50 years ago set the current Committee up for success, he said, and he hopes to do the same for the future of Lacey.

"Will it be perfect? No. Will we be perfect? Absolutely not," McDonald said. "But that's what we're trying to do."