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07-15-2006, 10:41 AM
Maurice River weighs ATV haven
Township master plan revisions call for protecting bay economy, ecology
By DANIEL WALSH Staff Writer, (856) 794-5111
Published: Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, July 12, 2006
MAURICE RIVER TOWNSHIP NJ — The township's new master plan revisions call for the potential creation of an ATV park on a former sand mine and preservation of the river and bayside economy and ecology.
A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. July 19 in the municipal building so the township's more than 3,000 residents can comment on changes to the 10-page plan.
The master plan remains mostly the same, with several key changes.
Among them are the hope for a recreation area for all-terrain vehicles. ATV use is huge in Cumberland County, but there are essentially very few legal places for people to enjoy it. The result is that a large proportion of State Police calls are in response to ATV riding.
In the past 10 years, there have been four accidents involving ATVs within the township, two of them fatal.
Township residents and officials pushed for state blessing for an ATV park last year but lost out to Monroe Township, Gloucester County. ATVs are even more popular in Maurice River Township, which has huge swaths of open land and is home to seven-time National Enduro champion Mike Lafferty.
The idea is to turn a closed sand mine into a race park.
“Most of the areas where this could take place are all in Pinelands areas,” said Barbara Sutton, secretary to the town's Land Use Board. That's why the best target would be a reclaimed sand mine, which would have no such restrictions.
The plan's revisions also call for preservation of the river and bay economies along the Maurice River and Delaware Bay. There are several marinas and boatyards along the waterways. Fears arose recently that they might not always be there, with Four Star Marina in the township's Leesburg section up for sale.
“What we're hoping not to see is someone coming in there to buy them for condominiums,” Sutton said.
Beyond that, there are few major changes. The master plan, essentially a vision for the town's future development, still includes provisions for protecting wetlands and open spaces. It directs future residential growth toward existing neighborhoods rather than opening for new developments.
Maurice River is the state's largest municipality geographically, but since most of it is marsh or preserved forest land, the town is sparsely populated outside the small villages of Leesburg, Port Elizabeth, Dorchester and Heislerville. Inmates in two prisons, Southern State Correctional Facility and Bayside State Prison, make up about half the town's population of more than 7,000.
The master plan must go from the Land Use Board to the Township Committee for final approval.
To e-mail Daniel Walsh at The Press:
DWalsh@pressofac.com
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/cumberland/story/6519626p-6370227c.html
Township master plan revisions call for protecting bay economy, ecology
By DANIEL WALSH Staff Writer, (856) 794-5111
Published: Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, July 12, 2006
MAURICE RIVER TOWNSHIP NJ — The township's new master plan revisions call for the potential creation of an ATV park on a former sand mine and preservation of the river and bayside economy and ecology.
A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. July 19 in the municipal building so the township's more than 3,000 residents can comment on changes to the 10-page plan.
The master plan remains mostly the same, with several key changes.
Among them are the hope for a recreation area for all-terrain vehicles. ATV use is huge in Cumberland County, but there are essentially very few legal places for people to enjoy it. The result is that a large proportion of State Police calls are in response to ATV riding.
In the past 10 years, there have been four accidents involving ATVs within the township, two of them fatal.
Township residents and officials pushed for state blessing for an ATV park last year but lost out to Monroe Township, Gloucester County. ATVs are even more popular in Maurice River Township, which has huge swaths of open land and is home to seven-time National Enduro champion Mike Lafferty.
The idea is to turn a closed sand mine into a race park.
“Most of the areas where this could take place are all in Pinelands areas,” said Barbara Sutton, secretary to the town's Land Use Board. That's why the best target would be a reclaimed sand mine, which would have no such restrictions.
The plan's revisions also call for preservation of the river and bay economies along the Maurice River and Delaware Bay. There are several marinas and boatyards along the waterways. Fears arose recently that they might not always be there, with Four Star Marina in the township's Leesburg section up for sale.
“What we're hoping not to see is someone coming in there to buy them for condominiums,” Sutton said.
Beyond that, there are few major changes. The master plan, essentially a vision for the town's future development, still includes provisions for protecting wetlands and open spaces. It directs future residential growth toward existing neighborhoods rather than opening for new developments.
Maurice River is the state's largest municipality geographically, but since most of it is marsh or preserved forest land, the town is sparsely populated outside the small villages of Leesburg, Port Elizabeth, Dorchester and Heislerville. Inmates in two prisons, Southern State Correctional Facility and Bayside State Prison, make up about half the town's population of more than 7,000.
The master plan must go from the Land Use Board to the Township Committee for final approval.
To e-mail Daniel Walsh at The Press:
DWalsh@pressofac.com
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/cumberland/story/6519626p-6370227c.html