Residents Question Nobility Crest Project on Route 9 North

Officials heard growing public concern over a project to build 200 townhouse and 50 apartment building units as well as a strip mall on Route 9 in Toms River, during the zoning board meeting last week.

In addition to more testimony from the developer, an outpouring of citizen turnout at last Thursday night’s Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting can be attributed to the now twice delayed vote for the Nobility Crest @ LLC proposal.

For the second time in as many meetings, the proposal — which includes the construction of a 53,000-square-foot shopping center, two 25-unit apartment buildings and 200 townhouse units north of Cox Cro Road on Route 9 — was held up as expert witness testimony, as well as an influx of citizen questioning and commentary, ran the meeting past the 11 p.m. time allotment.

Attorney Joseph D. Coronato, who represents the applicant before the board, said the increase in public interest in the proposal is a natural occurrence whenever a new project is introduced into a longstanding residential community.

“The public has to be heard, if the public doesn’t get their chance to be heard it doesn’t feel it gets its fair shot,” he said.

Compared to the previous Jan. 27 meeting, citizen attendance was up considerably and their presence was felt in the form of additional questioning and commentary to the applicant's many witnesses. Concerns included children safety, rental versus owner tenants and traffic.

Roy Craig, 123 Liberty Bell Road, attended Thursday night’s meeting to voice his concerns over how children will safely get to the local elementary school, considering there will be no bus stops, and they will rely 100 percent on pedestrian walkways. 

“I want the children to be safe first and foremost, but to build that to me, you would need to have a traffic light,” he said.

Coronato stressed during the meeting that the installation of a traffic light and crossing guard is completely up to the county and Department of Transportation. Coronato added that his client will be in full compliance to whatever safety measures the governmental entities may want to enact.

 “The county controls Cox Cro Rd… whatever the county wants, the applicant will do,” he said. “If they want to put yellow lights, green lights, purple lights, whatever lights they feel is appropriate.”

Debra Curci, 177 Liberty Bell Road, voiced her concerns over whether the affordable housing tenants will rent or buy their homes, and what likely scenario the developer has if the homes for sale might not find buyers in a trying housing market.

“I think the big issue we were lead to believe that the affordable housing was going to be owner-occupied not rented,” she said.

Coronato said the rented properties would be carefully managed by an outsourced property management company that would allow for stringent control over tenants.

He acknowledged the negative stigma that affordable housing brings with it but stressed that the applicant is requried to erect affordable housing by state law.  He also emphasized his client’s right to develop the property as long as the finished project is appropriate for the surrounding neighborhood.  

 “Everybody thinks that affordable housing is a good thing but not in their backyard,” he said. “People do have a right to develop their property and as long as you develop it in the parameters of the law, then you should be able to develop.”