TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River residents want to see their downtown village district redeveloped, but they don’t want massive 10-story apartment buildings. That’s according to an online poll conducted this week by Shore News Network.
Most Toms River residents want to see improvements downtown, including restaurants, bars, and other activities to promote commercial tourism and make the village a destination for more than just going to court and paying your tax bills.
An overwhelming amount of residents disagree with the path current Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill is taking. Hill supports bulk construction, including hi-rise apartments and high-density housing. Hill’s plan relies on first bringing more residents to the downtown area and hoping the business will follow.
Hill’s opponent in June’s primary election, Councilman Daniel Rodrick, sees it differently. Rodrick supports a scaled-down vision that includes making it easier for restaurants with liquor licenses to set up business in the area to attract people to the downtown area without overpopulation the downtown area.
Rodrick sees the possibility of the downtown area becoming a future after-hours nighttime tourism draw but opposes the construction of massive hi-rise buildings and high-density apartment buildings in Hill’s plan.
Only 22% of those who took the poll wanted the village to remain untouched and left as it is.
16.7% agreed with Hill’s plan to build bigger and higher in the downtown area.
61% supported a scaled-down redevelopment plan that focused more on businesses and attractions and less on hi-rise apartment buildings.
Last week, Hill declared “going vertical” was an inevitable side-effect of his plan to redevelop the downtown area.
Rodrick said Toms River’s beautiful waterfront could be the centerpiece of a bustling restaurant scene with shops and other attractions to draw visits from the region to Toms River for a nice night out with a date or the family. He is concerned that building hi-rise apartments will have the opposite effect, causing traffic and deterring outside visitors from spending a night in the area.
Roderick also raised concerns over a PILOT program for a planned 10-story twin tower project that will deprive the hard-hit Toms River School District from much needed tax revenue in the future.