By DON STINE
It’s official – almost three acres of land along S. Riverside Drive, in the Shark River Hills section of Neptune, will now forever be a park. The property originally was scheduled to be developed with nine single-family homes.
“It is the last remaining piece of open space along the Shark River. As a result of Superstorm Sandy, it made practical sense to retain it without houses,” Neptune Business Administrator Vito Gadaleta said earlier this week.
This area of Neptune was severely hit during Superstorm Sandy and a number of houses were lost or damaged. The 2.65-acre site was the former Shark River Beach and Yacht Club and later a boat yard.
The township closed on the property last month and received the $1 million Green Acres grant from state Department of Environmental Protection. It also received $127,500 from the Monmouth County Conservation Fund. The township bonded $1.25 million to purchase the site from an estate.
Gadaleta said the site is now being cleaned up and that further discussions about its future will be held next year.
“But it will always be parkland- open space,” he said.
All properties are near the Shark River and between S. Riverside Drive and Valley Road .
