Ortley Beach Group Wants County's Help In Surf Club Purchase

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Ortley Beach Voters and Taxpayers Association is urging the Ocean County Freeholders to to help Toms River buy the former Joey Harrison's Surf Club site and turn it into open space.

The surf club, a popular beachfront bar and nightclub that had existed for decades, was destroyed when Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012. The club's owner, Joseph Barcellona Jr., initially planned to rebuild, but later abandoned that plan in favor of selling the property, at Route 35 North and Seventh Avenue.

The Ortley Beach homeowners group has been urging Toms River to buy the property since at least 2015, when the final demolition was completed, to preserve open space and create more public beachfront.

The potential purchase has been discussed repeatedly at Toms River Township Council meetings over the last few years, with the primary sticking point being the purchase price: the Barcellonas want $8.3 million for the property, an Asbury Park Press report said.

The Ortley Beach group says a deal has been reached "in principal" among officials from Toms River, New Jersey and the Barcellona family. It is dependent on the county's participation, however.

The Ortley Beach group said the mediated deal (the group paid for the mediator) includes Blue Acres and Green Acres funds from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Toms River has proposed selling developable mainland property that it owns to Ocean County to raise funds needed to help bridge a gap in the purchase price with the sellers.

They have been waiting for an answer from the Ocean County Freeholders, the Ortley Beach group said.

"The purchase of the land by the state and local governments would not just beautify a section of the beach that has remained in a devastated state since Superstorm Sandy: It will also provide more open space for a dense area of the barrier island and badly needed parking for locals and visitors," the Ortley Beach group said in a news release.

In 2005, Barcellona planned to sell the property to a developer, and the Toms River Planning Board approved an application for a 28-unit townhouse development on the site, the Asbury Park Press reported. That deal later fell through.

"This incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to preserve natural resources, oceanfront property and other open space is good policy and good politics," said Anthony Colucci, president of the Ortley Beach group.

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