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Public Will Have Chance To Air Trader's Cove Opinions On October 23
By Catherine Galioto
The do's and don'ts of redeveloping the Trader's Cove Marina is up for public debate at the last council meeting in October.
Township planners released the proposed site plan, which the township council must approve as the next step in revitalizing the aging marina the township purchased two years ago.
The proposed plan calls for a marina, maritime museum and park with amenities at the Mantoloking Road site. It would prohibit any possibility of building condominiums, single family homes, gas stations or major boat repair facilities at the cove, said township Councilman Michael Thulen.
"It's basically what we've been talking about all along," Thulen said. According to the councilman, the move formalizes almost a year of discussion as to what specifi- cally should be allowed and prohibited on the site, which sits on Barnegat Bay.
The township planner's office, Michael Fowler and Tara Paxton, worked on the plans for months, Thulen said. Though the site plan is specific in outlining the township's needs and wants, the extremely detailed building specifics a developer would present remain something for the future.
The council will hear what residents think about the plan at the October 23 council meeting, during which a public hearing will take place.
At the council's meeting this week, Willie deCamp of Save Barnegat Bay, said his biggest concern was of the size of the proposed marina, which may have about 120 boat slips. He said he is also worried that the township's plan to sell the site to a developer to oversee could put the parcel in the hands of a for-profit entity. De- Camp wants interests such as conservation and public use to be paramount.
"You need to take a levelheaded look at it," deCamp said. "A marina owner will try to max out his profits."
Initial plans called for 193 boat slips, but that number has since been scaled back.
Council President Stephen Acropolis said other questions about the number of parking spaces are negotiable - to a point. In order to create more green areas, the township could get rid of proposed parking spots, but the state requires a certain amount of parking based on how many boat slips are on site. Township officials are thinking of sharing parking quotas with the county, an arrangement that may happen if plans to sell a portion of the site to the county move forward, Acropolis said.
Officials are hopeful the plan will also better link the cove to the neighboring Forsythe Wildlife Refuge.
The proposed site plan would also allow for minor boat repairs, a boat shed for historic boats only and retail space limited to a small gift or bait shop.
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