Beaton Point (Credit: Ocean County)
Just under a quarter-century after Brick Boulevard was improved, the township is fulfilling a long-forgotten request from the state to redesignate parkland acreage that was given up during the county-run rehabilitation of the roadway.
In 2002, Ocean County undertook an improvement project on Brick Boulevard which reconstructed and widened lanes between Beaverson Boulevard to Duquesne Boulevard. Heralded as a major success at the time, improving the flow of traffic along the Brick Boulevard corridor, the project also took a tiny bit of land – 0.1 acres – from Milano Park, which is most prominently known as the land on which the Brick Police Athletic League building sits. An additional 2.46 acres from the park were diverted for stormwater facilities associated with the project. These uses of parkland, which fell under the state’s Green Acres Program, were later addressed through an “after-the-fact” approval process by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection after the state performed an audit of parklands in 2009.
Fast forward to 2026, and the “after-the-fact” portion is finally being addressed – by a purchase that dates back to 2010. Late that year, in one of the first stories we covered for what was then Brick Patch, we reported on the acquisition by the township of what was known as Beaton Point. The township and Ocean County jointly purchased the property, located off Beverly Beach Road on the Manasquan River, from a private owner for $1,257,500 to prevent potential residential development. At the time, officials said it had been considered for development with six or seven homes, roughly just east of the Winding River Village community. The two entities split the cost, with the county contributing through its Natural Lands Trust.
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Beaton Point (Google Earth)
Last week, the township council formally announced the dedication of the Beaton Point tract – a 5.27-acres parcel – as formal parkland to “make up” for the 2.46-acres that were used for the Brick Boulevard road and drainage project on the opposite side of town 24 years earlier.
While New Jersey environmental law allows for the use of parkland to be developed to serve a specific municipal purpose to advance recreation, a wrinkle in the statute does not allow the same land to be utilized for county-run projects that improve infrastructure. Despite its inclusion on township and county open space lists, the Beaton Point tract will now stand as property formally designated as parkland by the state Department of Environmental Protection, and protected by law.
“This compensation provides exceptional value of a 4.1-to-1 acreage replacement ratio and 2.4-to-1 value ratio,” said Councilwoman Melissa Travers. “It significantly exceeds the Green Acres-required 2-to-1 minimum.”
The peninsula offers excellent wildlife protection, and has been home to bald eagles in the past, but is not easily accessible to the public. A path through private property is its only formal access point, though informal paths have been forged over the decades. It is theoretically accessible by kayak, though shallow waters and deep mud can make it hazardous, being well outside the notoriously silted-in channel that runs through the Manasquan River narrows.
The parkland designation was approved unanimously by the township council.
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