CAFRA Hearing Set On Proposed 1,800-Home Development At Eagle Ridge Golf Course

LAKEWOOD, NJ — The state Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled a public hearing on a controversial 1,800-home development that has been proposed for construction on the site of Eagle Ridge Golf Course in Lakewood.

The public hearing, under the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in the auditorium at Jackson Memorial High School on Don Connor Boulevard in Jackson, the DEP announced.

The application, filed by GDMS Holdings LLC, seeks to build more than 1,800 homes — 936 senior housing residential units and 936 basement apartments — along with community centers, a retail facility with 243 parking spaces, a clubhouse, and "associated amenities" on the site that currently is the golf course.

The DEP said initial public comment on the application has been sufficient to warrant a public hearing.

Toms River officials mentioned the issue Tuesday night at the end of Township Council's special meeting on the budget.

Councilman Maurice "Mo" Hill urged residents to attend the CAFRA hearing to express their concerns, because the development will have a significant impact on traffic along Whitesville Road and on Route 9, which already is overburdened.

The density is far higher than that of surrounding neighborhoods, Hill said.

An Asbury Park Press report said the purchase of Eagle Ridge Golf Club by GDMS Holdings appears to still be in limbo. The report said GDMS Holdings was under contract to buy it as of Dec. 30, but current records still show Augusta Boulevard Associates LLC, the seller, as the owner of the property.

Eagle Ridge opened in 1999, and the original 18-hole course was built on the sand and gravel quarry that helped pave the Garden State Parkway in the mid-20th century, according to the course's website. Nine holes were added later on top of a landfill, the Asbury Park Press report said. It has an assessed value of $7.1 million, the report said.

The DEP notice said the application for the proposed development includes an application for a Freshwater Wetlands General Permit 6 for the proposed filling of 14,941 square feet of non-tributary wetlands to construct the proposed development.

The CAFRA Individual Permit and Freshwater Wetlands General Permit 6 application is available for review at the Municipal Township Clerk’s office in Lakewood or by appointment at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Trenton office, the DEP notice said.

Written comments regarding this proposed development should be sent to: Bureau Section Chief, Bureau of Coastal Regulation, Division of Land Use Regulation, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Mail Code 501-02A, P.O. Box 420, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420.

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