Seaside Heights Wants Green Acres $$ for Private Enterprise

On May 9^th, The Seaside Height Commissioners will hear Seaside Heights’ application for an extension of time to house the historic Dr. Floyd L. Moreland Dentzel/Loof Carousel. In 2016, the Commission granted approval to the Borough in June 2016 for the diversion of an estimated 1.37 acres of Borough-owned beach property in exchange for the preservation of the carousel. However the Borough does not have the funds in time to meet this condition. In fact, an official extension request was submitted to Green Acres and sent to the Commission for its consideration.

“The Seaside Beach Giveaway was a terrible deal in the first place, now it is even getting worse because they want more money. Seaside Heights took public beach land for private use and an amusement park. Now they want more taxpayer money to complete the project which violates the rules. The Borough is trying to obtain Green Acres funds to carry out a condition of the diversion approval for the historic carousel. Green Acres fund is supposed to go toward protecting space and providing recreational facilities, not paying to maintain private owned carousels. This is public beach for people who have paid to utilize the beach and now this proposal gives it away for private use, especially when the museum can be placed elsewhere,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The Seaside Heights Commission should deny the Borough’s request to use Green Acre money for a private enterprise.”

On June 30, 2016, the DEP approved Seaside Heights’ proposal to divert a 1.36 acre portion of their public beach for private use. The beach, which has been used for generations, was given to the Casino Pier Company, limiting public’s ability to use the beach, swim, and recreate. The diversion will allow Casino Pier to build a new Ferris wheel and roller coaster in the same location where the property was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, putting the area further at risk during future storms.

“Instead of protecting the Seaside Heights beach that belongs to all of us, the DEP approved the diversion for an amusement park. They took public beach in exchange for land that had no value where no one can use it. The Borough currently plans to replace the diverted land with a museum, not more access to additional beach,” said Tittel. “The town, however, does not have enough money to do this and are now asking for more money from Green Acres to complete it. Now they are making a bad situation even worse. They are taking public money to pay for mitigation and for the destruction of public land. This violates the public trust doctrine.”

Many environment groups are concerned that the Borough is going to breach a condition of approval, namely that the Carousel will not be located on Block 56, Lots 3, 7 & 9 by June 30, 2019. In a letter from the attorney representing the Borough of Seaside Heights to the Statehouse Commission stated that the Borough had already submitted an official request to the Commission for an extension in recognition of its inability to meet this condition.

“The Borough cannot meet the conditions of the diversion approval and the Commissioners should reject this proposal altogether. There are other alternatives to where the carousel can be moved to. This land should not be converted and instead used for purposes other than development, including mitigation of destroyed wetlands,” said Tittel.

The NJDEP requires a 1:1 replacement of open space that is of greater of equal value. The parcel proposed to be swapped is the Winding River parcel that is far from of equal aesthetic recreational value. In return for the diversion of public land and beach, the Borough proposes the preservation and conservation of the historic Dentzel Loof Carousel as a museum for the public.

“Seaside Heights is diverting Green Acres land that thousands of people use to get on the beach for this amusement park. This land had belonged to all of us and now it belongs to a private company. Now the Borough is asking for more Green Acres resources to maintain the conditions of the diversion. There is really no trade-off because we don’t have other public beaches to replace this with. Not only have taxpayers paid for this beach as open space, we pay to maintain it and to replenish it after each storm. Beaches belong to all of us and we all should be able to access them,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.  “This diversion is a violation of the public trust and the Seaside Heights Commissioners should deny the Borough’s extension for more time and to use Green Acres money.”