Ortley Beach Residents Urged to Attend Meeting on New Master Plan

The Ortley Beach water tower. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Toms River Township will hold a hearing Wednesday on its new master plan, which will be updated by the end of the year, officials say.

The Ortley Beach Voters and Taxpayers Association is urging all neighborhood residents to attend so needs of the community can be addressed, according to an e-mail.

Master plans, under New Jersey land use law, serve as the blueprint for a municipality, depicting the current state of land use within a town’s borders and setting a guide for future land use decisions. Master plans also set forth development goals and guidelines for a community; they are especially important to a neighborhood like Ortley Beach, which is still in a state of rebuilding after Superstorm Sandy.

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The OBVTA has raised several land use issues for residents to address, including: parking issues; the size of homes and if they are too close to one another; the role of two-family homes in the community; storm resiliency; and whether there should be a more vibrant, cohesive business district on Route 35.

“If you want to provide input on the future of Toms River and Ortley Beach, then please attend,” the e-mail said.

The meeting will take place Wednesday, May 18 at 6 p.m. in the council chambers of the municipal complex on Washington Street. A copy of the township’s current master plan can be found here.