This township Committee knew it was a faulty ordnance but ignored it anyways and forced residents to pay out of pocket and fight it in court. Now the Judge ruled in favor of the residents and against the township. Mayor Coles, Menashe Miller and Meir Lichtenstein voted for it in 2013, when it was brought to their attention, they refused to fix it.
By: takebacklakewood June 02, 2017
See here for background on the 2013 County Line ordinance where the Township passed an ordinance allowing commercial buildings on County Line without telling the people in the neighborhood as required by law. . Our incompetent township committee not only passed a faulty ordinance in 2013, but in 2017 when they were made aware, they were incapable in putting forth a motion to repeal the faulty ordinance. See here for the lawsuit filed by residents of County Line against Lakewood Township.
In a pretrial hearing this morning in Ocean County Superior Court, the Plantiff's were represented by Arbus, Maybruch & Goode and the defendants were represented by Lakewood Township Attorney Steve Secare and Planning Board Attorney John Jackson. The developers seeking to build commercial buildings were represented by another law firm. The defendants argued that a switch to allow commercial was not a significant enough change to require notice.
Judge Marlene Lynch Ford ruled in favor of the County Line residents ruling that the 2013 ordinance (due to lack of notice) is invalid!
Her ruling determined that a change to residential, commercial, industrial, or higher density residential constitutes a significant change for which notice is required The lack of notice means that the Township lacked jurisdiction to pass a zonin
g change.
Going forward the planning board may not hear the pending applications as there is currently no legal ordinance allowing commercial on County Line! There will be a trial in July at which point the determination will be made as to the damages owed to the residents of County Line for both their attorney fees and the damage caused by commercial buildings that were constructed using the illegal ordinance.
This sets a significant legal precedence for Lakewood Township! For several years the township committee (with Ray Coles on the committee) passed dozens of zoning changes switching industrial zones to residential and low density residential to higher density residential without sending notice! With this ruling in place, it will be extremely easy to reverse many of the faulty zoning changes in Lakewood!!
For years the Township Committee has been aiding and abetting the developers in turning Lakewood into the current dense gridlock that it is today.
On Tuesday June 6th, vote out Coles and Delia and vote in new candidates!!
By: takebacklakewood June 02, 2017
See here for background on the 2013 County Line ordinance where the Township passed an ordinance allowing commercial buildings on County Line without telling the people in the neighborhood as required by law. . Our incompetent township committee not only passed a faulty ordinance in 2013, but in 2017 when they were made aware, they were incapable in putting forth a motion to repeal the faulty ordinance. See here for the lawsuit filed by residents of County Line against Lakewood Township.
In a pretrial hearing this morning in Ocean County Superior Court, the Plantiff's were represented by Arbus, Maybruch & Goode and the defendants were represented by Lakewood Township Attorney Steve Secare and Planning Board Attorney John Jackson. The developers seeking to build commercial buildings were represented by another law firm. The defendants argued that a switch to allow commercial was not a significant enough change to require notice.
Judge Marlene Lynch Ford ruled in favor of the County Line residents ruling that the 2013 ordinance (due to lack of notice) is invalid!
Her ruling determined that a change to residential, commercial, industrial, or higher density residential constitutes a significant change for which notice is required The lack of notice means that the Township lacked jurisdiction to pass a zonin
g change.
Going forward the planning board may not hear the pending applications as there is currently no legal ordinance allowing commercial on County Line! There will be a trial in July at which point the determination will be made as to the damages owed to the residents of County Line for both their attorney fees and the damage caused by commercial buildings that were constructed using the illegal ordinance.
This sets a significant legal precedence for Lakewood Township! For several years the township committee (with Ray Coles on the committee) passed dozens of zoning changes switching industrial zones to residential and low density residential to higher density residential without sending notice! With this ruling in place, it will be extremely easy to reverse many of the faulty zoning changes in Lakewood!!
For years the Township Committee has been aiding and abetting the developers in turning Lakewood into the current dense gridlock that it is today.
On Tuesday June 6th, vote out Coles and Delia and vote in new candidates!!