TakebackLakewood -In 2013, the Township Committee passed an ordinance allowing commercial buildings on County Line. They failed to send notices to people in and around the zone. Due to that, the ordinance should be null and void according to the municipal land use law.
see Lawsuit HERE
When it was discovered in 2017, Mayor Coles committed to repealing the faulty ordinance. At two Township Committee meetings in 2017, the repeal was on the agenda but the Committeemen refused to vote on it - leaving the faulty ordinance in place. Now, residents of County Line have taken matters into their own hands and filed a lawsuit against the Township Committee. Now an Ocean County Judge will likely force Lakewood to do what the committeemen have refused to do - reverse the faulty ordinance.
Note - this lawsuit will set a tremendous precedent allowing other neighborhoods to easily challenge the illegal zoning changes made in their neighborhoods. The house of cards is collapsing...
At the Planning Board meeting on Tuesday June 9th, there are 2 applications for office buildings on County Line that are seeking to capitalize on the faulty ordinance. In one egregious case, a developer sold many houses in a development and then later people found out that he plans to put a large office building right at the entrance to their development!
Due to the Committee's failure to act, the residents are put in the uncomfortable position of needing to spend their own funds to protect their quality of life. Furthermore, the township will spend public funds (our tax money) defending the faulty County Line ordinance in an absurd attempt to put the needs of developers before the needs of the residents!!
Although Mayor Coles and Committeeman Lichtenstein feigned interest in resolving the matter, ultimately they chose to help the developers - to the detriment of the residents. This again highlights the need to replace Mayor Coles.
see Lawsuit HERE
When it was discovered in 2017, Mayor Coles committed to repealing the faulty ordinance. At two Township Committee meetings in 2017, the repeal was on the agenda but the Committeemen refused to vote on it - leaving the faulty ordinance in place. Now, residents of County Line have taken matters into their own hands and filed a lawsuit against the Township Committee. Now an Ocean County Judge will likely force Lakewood to do what the committeemen have refused to do - reverse the faulty ordinance.
Note - this lawsuit will set a tremendous precedent allowing other neighborhoods to easily challenge the illegal zoning changes made in their neighborhoods. The house of cards is collapsing...
At the Planning Board meeting on Tuesday June 9th, there are 2 applications for office buildings on County Line that are seeking to capitalize on the faulty ordinance. In one egregious case, a developer sold many houses in a development and then later people found out that he plans to put a large office building right at the entrance to their development!
Due to the Committee's failure to act, the residents are put in the uncomfortable position of needing to spend their own funds to protect their quality of life. Furthermore, the township will spend public funds (our tax money) defending the faulty County Line ordinance in an absurd attempt to put the needs of developers before the needs of the residents!!
Although Mayor Coles and Committeeman Lichtenstein feigned interest in resolving the matter, ultimately they chose to help the developers - to the detriment of the residents. This again highlights the need to replace Mayor Coles.