Brick's Breton Woods: Would more houses lead to flooding?
BRICK — A plan to build 59 new homes in the Breton Woods neighborhood was scrutinized Monday before the township Planning Board, which heard conflicting testimony about whether the project could potentially flood.
The board meeting was the latest in a months-long series of hearings on a proposal by builder D.R. Horton to build four- and five bedroom homes on a nearly 32-acre wooded parcel between Drum Point and Mantoloking roads.
Engineers and land use experts for D.R. Horton first met with the Planning Board in March to discuss the proposed "Havens at Metedeconk." The property is currently owned by the Church of the Visitation on Mantoloking Road, which has agreed to sell the property for an undisclosed amount.
Christine Capone, a planner for D.R. Horton, said the Havens proposal complies with the township's land-use rules in the neighborhood and fits in with other single family homes in the residential area. The parcel was zoned for single family homes as far back as 2007, she said.
Yet, some neighbors and environmentalists oppose the plan, saying it would lead to overcrowding in the community and irreparable harm to the local environment.
As of Monday, more than 7,300 people signed an online petition at Change.org called "Save Breton Woods," saying D.R. Horton's plan would pollute the Metedeconk River and nearby Barnegat Bay.
The environmental organization Save Barnegat Bay has also opposed the Havens project, saying it would destroy animal and plant habitat and result in more pollution washing into the bay. The organization hired attorney Stuart Lieberman to fight the proposal before the Planning Board.
Previously:Church-owned woods could turn into homes, and Brick neighbors don't like it
Engineer Geoffrey M. Goll of Princeton Hydro, who appeared before the board on behalf of Save Barnegat Bay and Lieberman, presented highlights of a report he prepared, saying D.R. Horton's proposed stormwater system contained serious flaws.
The builder's designs were at risk of being "overwhelmed" by a heavy storm, he told the board.
Goll also testified that Brick could end up with the task of repairing proposed community's the storm basins, if a homeowners association tasked with maintaining the basins falls apart.
"This is going to be a huge maintenance liability for the township," Goll told the Planning Board.
D.R. Horton's attorney John A. Giunco plans to rebut Goll's testimony at the board's next meeting on the proposal. That meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at Civic Plaza, 270 Chambers Bridge Road, Brick.
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Brick's Breton Woods: Would more houses lead to flooding?
