MANCHESTER – Mayor Kenneth Palmer took to social media recently in his continuing monthly “Ask the Mayor” series responding to resident inquiries about matters around the township.
His latest session featured on the Manchester Facebook page focused on open space land purchases. “There is a stretch of road on 571 I believe that would be north of Route 70, we have earmarked that tract of land with some concerns of overdevelopment and the reason being is that there are only a few developable tracts on that land.”
“On one side we will have the county park but right across from it there is an approved project called the MDT project that will be 400 units and that will be nestled between Quarry Road and Cedar Glenn West. Right between there will be a development that the township really had to approve for affordable housing to meet our requirements,” he added.
The mayor elaborated saying the concern over 571 is due to Ocean County not widening the road. “They actually just repaved it so they certainly won’t be widening it anytime soon. With Holly Oaks, Autumn Ridge, there is another potential development going in off of Wilbur and Brentwood Estates which is already at the Planning Board stage so we have concerns about additional housing along 571.”
“Our goal is to purchase those kinds of tracts where a large number of homes could go. We’ve earmarked four tracts, two of the tracts were already under contract and we closed on one which is just about 20 acres. We purchased that land for $2 million. We are buying it for open space so it will never be developed. We are buying it through the Green Acres program of the state so that means the state will reimburse the township one half of the appraised value of that land,” Mayor Palmer added.
He noted that at some point the state will reimburse Manchester Township about a million dollars for that purchase. He said the second tract which was under contract whose purchase was approved by a vote of the council is being finalized. He said that was around eight acres which was near the MDT project.
Mayor Palmer explained, “it is kind of a buffer between Cedar Glenn West and another little community near Cedar Glenn West and where the MDT project is. We felt that was a good purchase to buffer the new communities with the old communities with some open space. There are two other tracts that we are looking to buy and we are trying to speak with the land owners.”
For Seniors
Palmer reminded seniors who were planning to apply for the State Senior Freeze program, that it was extended. “Now the deadline is Dec. 31, 2020. If there is anyone who needs help with their application for the Senior freeze, doesn’t know what it is, please contact our senior services, they will be more than happy to help that is what they are there for.”
The mayor added that the township’s senior services office “has a staff of people who know that type of stuff inside and out and will help you complete the application and will let you know if you qualify or not. So if you want to do the Senior Freeze, please call Senior Services and if you are already familiar with it, the deadline again has been extended to Dec. 31.”
ATV Riders
The mayor said in speaking with Township Police Chief Lisa Parker an increase of ATV complaints had been noted. “We are addressing those. We are deploying police and patrols in areas where we are getting a good number of those complaints. Manchester is 82 square miles with a lot of woods. Over 52% of our acreage in town can’t even be developed. It is wooded area.”
“I grew up here and there were motorcycle riders, ATV riders but when you start tearing up the roads there is a concern. There is a significant concern for not only your own safety but for the safety of others on the road and it gets to the point where it is affecting people’s quality of life having the ATVs rip past their house,” Mayor Palmer said.
“We are going to continue to monitor that, enforce that and try to deter it now that we have gotten those complaints. We are working on it,” he added.
