Master Plan Subcommittee To Cease Work Until Further Notice

Barnegat Township is putting on hold the work of the Planning Board's Master Plan Subcommittee in order to take stock of the funding required for engineer's consultations, and to "review priorities."

"This reflects nothing more than a logical pause to evaluate priorities relative to continued smart growth of the community," Township Administrator David Breeden told Patch. "Barnegat is one of the fastest growing towns in the state and the Township simply wants an opportunity to review priorities in order to maintain our systematic approach to addressing various development related issues impacting the Township."

"We want to make sure we know how much it’s going to cost," said Planning Board Chairman Ralph Dawes. "So we’re just putting it on hold for a couple of weeks, and we’ll meet with the Birdsall engineer. We need to define, underneath an overall budget, how much we’re going to spend."

The costs that must be calculated are the engineer's hourly pay, Dawes explained.

"(The costs are) essentially all labor," Dawes said. "I’m not thinking [the delay] should be long, but obviously we need to figure out where we can get that money."

"I certainly understand the need for controlling some of the economic expenditures of the town," subcommittee member Jerry Harper said.

The Master Plan Subcommittee helps the Planning Board and the township work out the details of the master plan's various components, such as economic development, open space and waste water management. The committee has been working on the plan for at least seven years now. The township committee recently adopted the plan, but many .

"Land is a limited resources and it must be used wisely," said Breeden. "In addition, it is critical to strike a balance between development and quality of life, so the Township feels a need to examine additional work required for the Master Plan along with incorporating the requirements of the Town Center designation into the Master Plan."

Also, the township must start work on three designated redevelopment areas in town, Breeden said, so the efforts of everyone participating in the planning process must be coordinated thoroughly.

"There is a considerable amount of work being undertaken with regards to community planning and development," Breeden said, adding that the township's goal is to create a comprehensive plan that addresses all the municipal needs.

"With the slow but steady recovery of the economy, the Township must be prepared and ready to handle the increase in construction activity," he said.  

Township officials expressed confidence that the subcommittee's work will resume soon.

"I am optimistic about this – it’s been good work and it will continue," said Dawes. "We just have to make sure we have the proper budget allocated for it.”

"The Master Plan subcommittee members are a dedicated group of individuals as they have met over 100 times since 2005 in order to work on a master plan document that was last update 25 years ago," Breeden said. "The Township greatly appreciates their work and looks forward to their continued support with promoting smart growth principles for Barnegat Township."