A Jersey Shore town denies it illegally destroyed sand dunes and wetlands, saying it acted to repair erosion that had wiped out parts of the dunes.
In responses released Thursday by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, North Wildwood disputes the agency’s claim that it destroyed 8 acres of mature, well-established dunes as part of oceanfront development without legally required permits and approvals from the agency.
The agency also claims North Wildwood installed an oceanfront bulkhead without required permits or the engineering reviews conducted by the agency to ensure public safety and environmental protection.
The DEP could order the town to undo the work and restore the area back to its natural condition.
In a letter dated June 8 and made public by the DEP Thursday in response to a request from The Associated Press, the city says it did not violate permits pertaining to the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act and a Freshland Water permit, and asked for 30 days to meet with the DEP “and discuss a path forward.”
Neil Yoskin, an attorney representing North Wildwood, said the city has permission from the state to move around as much as 300,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach.
“The sand beach and dunes along the area in question were eroded so badly in the fall of 2019 that they largely ceased to exist, forcing the city to place the imported sand on the footprint of the former dunes,” he wrote.
The DEP says the dunes and freshwater wetlands that were destroyed in North Wildwood provided critical wildlife habitat that supported a variety of birds, insects, plants and other wildlife.
The agency also said the city and a private contractor erected buildings on the city’s Seaport Pier boardwalk entertainment complex, including a restaurant and tiki bar, and extended sewer service to the developments, all without DEP review or approval.
A lawyer for the developer said some of the improvements were made before the state passed the waterfront development laws cited by the DEP, and said the company, BG Capital, will seek a determination of who has jurisdiction over the matter. The company also promised to address other areas of contention.
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