SOUTH TOMS RIVER – The borough is receiving a $5 million grant to help them close their landfill, officials said.
The grants are coming from the State Department of Environmental Protection as well as the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
“We’ve been working on that for 10 years, and before me, there were many, many people working on it,” Mayor Oscar Cradle said.
The landfill is behind the Public Works building which is on Drew Lane, off Attison Avenue.
Once it’s capped, the borough is looking for a developer to build 30 units of affordable housing over it, he said.
Every town in New Jersey is required to build a certain number of so-called affordable units for low- to moderate-income people.
“That’ll satisfy 75% of our affordable housing requirement,” Cradle said.
It’s still too early yet for an estimated timeline, he said.
The landfill is a 15 acre site that was officially closed on March 31, 1986, according to borough records. Local officials have proposed multiple plans for closure and its future use. Now, however, they have the finances to close it and make this land useful again.
“I am overjoyed to announce this vital state assistance, and receive the largest grant in the history of South Toms River,” Cradle said. “South Toms River has always worked tirelessly to advance environmental leadership. The state has been a partner throughout the whole process and we are pleased to have this help from Governor Murphy as we close not just a landfill, but extend the borough’s ability to use redevelopment as a catalyst for a stronger local economy.”
