LITTLE EGG HARBOR – The former Little Egg Harbor municipal complex at 7 Gifford Road has been placed on the market and offered for sale through an online government surplus auction, under terms requiring formal Township Committee approval before any transfer of ownership can be finalized.
The opening bid for the property is $650,000 with $5,000 bid increments expected for the 10,700-square-foot office building advertised with redevelopment potential in a high-traffic corridor. According to the listing, the site was sold “as is, where is,” with bidders responsible for inspections, title work, and closing costs. The auction materials also established a minimum bid, a required deposit to participate, and a fixed closing period following the award of the high bid, which must be approved by the governing body before the sale could proceed.
The auction was scheduled to conclude January 28, with an in-person inspection period held earlier in the month on January 13. As of January 26, the bid close date was moved to February 26, with inspections by appointment.
Final approval of the highest bidder was expected to be made at the Township Committee’s February 12 meeting before the transaction can be completed. That date is subject to change.
Bidders were required to meet up-front financial conditions. The auction preview specified a $1,025 per-asset bid deposit to participate. Once the auction closed and a bidder was awarded the property, full payment was due within five business days, made directly to the township.
Before it was listed as a redevelopment opportunity, the Gifford Road property served as the center of township government. The building previously housed Little Egg Harbor’s administrative offices and police department until municipal operations were relocated to the Administrative Justice Complex on Radio Road. Since that move, the structure has remained under township ownership, periodically drawing interest as officials considered long-term options for reuse or sale.
According to the listing, the main floor is approximately 6,700 square feet, with approximately 4,000 square feet downstairs. The current zoning for the property is General Business.
The current sale returns attention to a property that was previously considered for a very different use.
Homeless Shelter Plan
In October 2024, the Township Committee adopted an ordinance authorizing negotiations with Family Promise of the Jersey Shore, a nonprofit organization that supports families experiencing homelessness. The ordinance allowed the township to explore selling the former town hall building for use as what would have become Ocean County’s first dedicated family shelter.
The ordinance did not approve a final sale. It authorized township officials and Family Promise to enter into contract negotiations. Those negotiations ultimately did not result in a purchase agreement.
“Family Promise of the Jersey Shore was not awarded the funding needed to purchase the proposed building,” said Elizabeth Golla, executive director of Family Promise of the Jersey Shore. “Instead, the funding was granted to another nonprofit organization, requiring Family Promise to enter into a partnership in order to move the project forward. Because the township was unable to accept funding from an additional source, the project could not proceed and was ultimately abandoned.”
Interim Township Administrator Kelly Lettera said the Township Committee had authorized a contract for Family Promise to purchase the property, but the agreement was never finalized.
“After we sent the contract to Family Promise for signature, they were looking to change the contract to include a third party,” Lettera said. “The committee would not agree to the change that was being requested, and the contract was voided.”
