TOMS RIVER – If you’ve been fortunate enough to go shopping or go to the movies at the Seacourt Pavilion lately, you’ll see that the land next door is under construction. This will be the home of an apartment complex to the east of Marshall’s department store.
This apartment complex will follow along the branch of the Toms River that flows past there, hidden by trees. It will stretch to the corner of the parking lot where the back entrance to Hooper Avenue is (Caudina Avenue, which runs past the two banks).
Jason Kaplan and the Kaplan Organization, represented by attorney Thomas Monahan, appeared before the township’s land use board with their professionals years ago.
Approved were 128 residential units, a pool, a dog park and a tot lot. Of these, there would be 46 one-bedroom units, 76 two-bedroom, and six three-bedroom. The three-bedroom units would be made for people with lower incomes, since every town in New Jersey is required to set aside some homes in this manner.
The timeline for the completion of the project could not be verified by press time.
Caudina Development
This is not to be confused with the redevelopment area that neighbors this area. Township officials are planning a significant redevelopment of the area of Caudina Avenue.
FD Stonewater, a Virginian real estate group, is the redeveloper there. “Redeveloper” is an official term which means that government officials want an area redone from the ground up. Designating land “an area in need of redevelopment” involves a lot of paperwork. The end result is that funding is made available for redevelopers who would then be more apt to invest in an area.
The township has been hoping to get the post office moved from the congested downtown to five acres in this area, as it would be more centrally located within town. It would also open up 3.5 acres downtown to new buildings with businesses on the ground floor and residences above. This would rely on federal approvals.
Another federal jurisdiction is the Veterans Administration clinic. The current one in Brick, the James J. Howard clinic, is too small for the amount of veterans it serves.
At a recent Berkeley Township Council meeting, Councilman James Byrnes said he drove there on a Saturday and saw veterans standing in line outside the building in the rain.
Brick officials have been trying to relocate the clinic elsewhere in their own town. Toms River has been trying to entice the VA to set up shop here, as it would be close to other county offices, such as the county veterans department.
Toms River officials have made room for an approximately 70,000 square feet building with 400 parking spaces on eight acres.
Toms River Township Planner David Roberts said recently that he has not heard an update on the VA’s decision.
This area is predominantly wooded, but also includes Fire Company No. 2’s building, which could possibly be rebuilt.
Another segment has four office buildings that are in poor condition and Ocean County government has plans to replace them with one large office building.
According to the township records, the township remains the owner of one entire block of undersized, unbuildable lots in this area.
