Road Off Fischer Boulevard Rezoned After Highway Business Issue

In the current economic climate, it’s hard enough to get a mortgage. But property owners on Pumpshire Road in Toms River found another obstacle: the zoning of their street as highway business.

Township Planner Jay Lynch said the short road, off of Fischer Boulevard just south of the Water’s Edge condominiums, is currently a mix of waterfront homes and marina-related businesses.

It was zoned highway business, but an ordinance before the township council will change the parcels there to be zoned as residential.

Lynch said a major impact of the change will be a sense of relief to homeowners there, who are applying for mortgages but are being met with difficultly from lenders.

“Banks were hesitant to loan money due to the ‘highway business’,” said President Mo Hill.

So, instead of having homes in a highway business zone, the zoning law was changed to residential.

“This is the right thing to do,” said Township Councilman George Wittman. “It impacts folks that live on this street.”

The large marina on the street was carved out of the zoning change and will remain inside a highway business zone.

Previously, the township council debated the rezoning of the street, and sent it to the Planning Board for input.

Last night, the township council agreed to rezone the street. Earlier this summer several residents and business owners told the council how the change could impact them.

According to the ordinance, this issue was brought to the council by the owners of five homes that did "not want to be treated as pre-existing non-conforming uses" and that residents were having issues refinancing and selling their properties in the area. 

Deborah Mikel, owner of Silver Bay North Marina, questioned the changes that her business faced and what the "conditional use" of the rezoning acts meant to her business. 

James Hannon, owner of marine construction company, Bird Construction, wants to buy property surrounding the marina and questioned how the rezoning ordinance would "hamper [his] ability to use the pieces of property for [his] marine construction business."

The final vote on the ordinance came unanimously, and without any audience comment.