{"id":21230,"date":"2022-12-13T05:02:17","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T10:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/?p=21230"},"modified":"2022-12-14T06:18:37","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T11:18:37","slug":"hit-the-pavement-contentious-breton-woods-development-hearing-will-go-into-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2022\/12\/hit-the-pavement-contentious-breton-woods-development-hearing-will-go-into-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Hit The Pavement: Contentious Breton Woods Development Hearing Will Go Into 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script src=\"\/\/cdn.playwire.com\/bolt\/js\/zeus\/embed.js\" data-config=\"\/\/config.playwire.com\/1024730\/videos\/v2\/5558331\/zeus.json\" data-width=\"100%\" data-height=\"100%\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Over three hours of testimony before Brick Township\u2019s planning board Monday night resulted in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/2022\/02\/developer-proposes-59-homes-for-30-acre-brick-parcel\/\">proposal for 59 homes<\/a> to be built in a forested parcel in the township\u2019s Breton Woods section heading into 2023.<\/p>\n<p>In what the township\u2019s planning board attorney compared to a \u201cwar of attrition,\u201d the legal counsel for Texas-based homebuilder D.R. Horton and a group of land use professionals squared off against residents and an attorney representing a number of objectors to the application during cross-examination. Little of note was revealed despite the length of the hearing, which mainly consisted of back-and-forth testimony regarding D.R. Horton\u2019s proposal to use porous pavement in the development, which township officials have said is maintenance-intensive, would carry extra costs and manpower provided by taxpayers, and is not suited for use as a full-on roadway surface.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21233\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_754-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21233\" class=\"size-large wp-image-21233\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_754-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"The Breton Woods property where 59 homes have been proposed as part of a new development, Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_754-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_754-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_754-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_754-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_754-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-21233\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Breton Woods property where 59 homes have been proposed as part of a new development, Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_21234\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21234\" class=\"size-large wp-image-21234\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"The Breton Woods property where 59 homes have been proposed as part of a new development, Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-240x180.jpg 240w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/IMG_6656-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-21234\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Breton Woods property where 59 homes have been proposed as part of a new development, Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThere is absolutely no doubt in my mind that porous pavement has a role in stormwater management,\u201d said Township Engineer Elissa Commins. \u201cI just don\u2019t feel they\u2019re appropriate for municipal roads. I have not yet seen a structural analysis of the pavement that I can verify, nor have I seen an analysis that is signed and dated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No other public road in Brick uses the surface type, which consists of an aggregate that allows water to be absorbed through the roadway itself and ultimately into the ground. It was revealed that D.R. Horton\u2019s representatives dug an 80-foot deep bore hole somewhere on the sprawling 30-acre parcel to detect potential aquifer activity, however when asked by a resident where the bore hole was dug, attorney John A. Giunco, representing the developer, refused to answer and told the resident that the data could be obtained by filing an Open Public Records Act request with the township. Shorebeat plans to submit that request in the coming days for a future report.<\/p>\n<p>It had been expected that the board would vote on whether to approve or deny the application at Monday night\u2019s meeting, however D.R. Horton\u2019s professionals submitted modified reports and new documentation which had yet to be reviewed by township officials. This revelation angered Stuart Lieberman, a noted environmental land use attorney who is representing a group of residents and environmental advocates in opposition to the development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey have intentionally not submitted plans,\u201d Lieberman exclaimed, speaking to Board Chairman Bernard Cooke. \u201cHow, in the world, are we on the same page when you yourselves do not even have a copy of this? It\u2019s not right. We should adjourn \u2013 we\u2019re wasting our time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have been in constant contact with this board,\u201d replied Giunco, further stating that \u201cevery town in New Jersey\u201d has adopted stormwater management ordinances that allow for the controversial pavement. Under questioning, however, Giunco\u2019s engineering witness admitted that she had never signed off on such a surface for a public street anywhere else.<\/p>\n<p>Residents gasped when Giunco replied to a member of the public who asked whether porous pavement is \u201cbetter or worse\u201d than traditional pavement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to wait, probably, 10 or 20 years or so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_21231\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_752-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21231\" class=\"size-large wp-image-21231\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_752-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_752-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_752-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_752-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_752-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_752-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-21231\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Osbornville Elementary School, as it backs up to the Breton Woods parcel, Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_21232\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_753-scaled.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21232\" class=\"size-large wp-image-21232\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_753-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"The Breton Woods property where 59 homes have been proposed as part of a new development, Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_753-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_753-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_753-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_753-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_753-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-21232\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Breton Woods property where 59 homes have been proposed as part of a new development, Dec. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>D.R. Horton proposed the porous roadway surface in order to comply with stormwater management requirements. The pavement has become one of the prime areas of contention over the course of three board meetings, and testimony is expected to continue at the next meeting, the date for which could not be determined at Monday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n<p>The developer has proposed the construction of 59 single-family homes on the parcel, which is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. Officials with Brick Township, Ocean County and at least one private organization have openly stated their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shorebeat.com\/brick\/2022\/12\/brick-ocean-county-still-interested-in-purchasing-breton-woods-as-hearing-set-for-next-week\/\">desire to negotiate a sale<\/a> of the property so it can be preserved, however the diocese has, thus far, referred the parties to D.R. Horton. Property records, however, indicate D.R. Horton does not own the land, and it remains in the hands of the diocese.<\/p>\n<p>Harold Hensel, the planning board attorney, said a notice advising the public of the next meeting date will be published once it has been determined.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fcbkbttn_buttons_block\" id=\"fcbkbttn_left\"><div class=\"fb-share-button fcbkbttn_large_button \" data-href=\"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/2022\/12\/hit-the-pavement-contentious-breton-woods-development-hearing-will-go-into-2023\/\" data-type=\"button_count\" data-size=\"large\"><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over three hours of testimony before Brick Township\u2019s planning board Monday night resulted in the proposal for 59 homes to be built in a forested parcel in the township\u2019s Breton Woods section heading into 2023. In what the township\u2019s planning board attorney compared to a \u201cwar of attrition,\u201d the legal counsel for Texas-based homebuilder D.R. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[4588,4668,24,4445,943,4484],"class_list":["post-21230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-59-homes","tag-breton-woods","tag-brick-nj-news","tag-d-r-horton","tag-diocese-of-trenton","tag-featured","post_format-post-format-video"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/breton_woods_59_homes_property_lot_754-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgt2Ft-5wq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shorebeat.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}