South Toms River Hosting Forum On Plans For Route 166 Corridor

SOUTH TOMS RIVER, NJ — For years, the half-mile stretch of Route 166 from Huddy Park in Toms River to the Beachwood has been something of an eyesore. Debris, old boats, some buildings that were falling down.

That is changing, however.

"To date, the borough has removed over 100 abandoned boats, installed new sidewalks and curbing, and provided safer ingress and egress along the stripmall section," the borough said as it published notification of a roundtable it is holding Thursday to discuss further plans to revitalize the area.

An announcement of the meeting published on the website Insider NJ said the roundtable on the Route 166 and Flint Road Improvement Initiative is set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the South Toms River Municipal Complex, 19 Double Trouble Road, South Toms River. The building is just south of Dover Road.

The meeting, South Toms River officials say, is to seek input from businesses and property owners in that part of town. Flint Road somewhat parallels Route 166 in South Toms River; a warehouse that is home to The Wickery, a wicker furniture company, is bounded on two sides by Route 166 and Flint Road, as is Robert Ott Landscaping.

The area sits next to the area of downtown Toms River that is the focus of a redevelopment plan announced by Toms River officials to turn the waterfront area into true downtown area. Part of that plan includes the move by the Toms River Township Council Tuesday night to take the first steps to purchase the Red Carpet Inn property, which has been a trouble spot in the township for years.

Toms River published a public notice that a majority of the council will be in attendance at the South Toms River roundtable, because of the proximity of the two areas.

Toms River's plan — which covers the south side of Water Street between Highland Parkway and Main Street and extends up Irons Street — is envisioned as a retail-lined area that encourages people to walk, shop, eat and spend time, one officials hope will spark economic investment in other properties in the area.

South Toms River Mayor Oscar Cradle said the goal of the meeting Thursday is to try to "capitalize on the business community’s knowledge to create a thriving business environment."

The borough has "aggressive plans to redevelop our waterfront, expand recreation, and install a new bike path on the south side of Route 166," South Toms River Councilman Tom Rolzhausen said. "We have many initiatives to share with our community and look forward to working with our businesses."

"By establishing redevelopment areas and expanding recreational access through grants, we are reducing the risk for businesses at no expense to the taxpayer, while further expanding our ratable base to stabilize taxes for years to come," Borough Business Administrator Joseph Kostecki said.

Among the intiatives is the borough's plan to submit a Town Center Designation application to the state that, if approved, will allow property owners on Flint Road and Route 166 to use up to 80 percent impervious coverage of their property, and maximize their property value, borough officials said.

The roundtable event is open to public and is free; those planning to attend should email Kostecki at Joseph.Kostecki@Boroughofsouthtomsriver.com or call (732) 349-0403, ext 1, to ensure there is enough seating.

"Sustainability is key," Kostecki said. "We have a shared interest with the business community to maximize the value of the overall community; and the conversation for the future starts today."

South Toms River has added sidewalks and new curbing along Route 166, part of steps officials are taking to revitalize and redevelop the area. Photo looking south on Route 166 via Google Maps