Township Buys Parcel to Thwart Construction of Route 37 Billboard

Toms River will use $42,000 from its open space tax fund to buy 0.42 acres at Routes 166 and 37, the spot of a failed proposal to build to a large electronic billboard.

The Toms River Township Council unanimously agreed to spend the open tax money on the small lot, which currently has some brush and trees on it and is just east of the jughandle, on the southeast corner of one of Toms River's busiest intersections.

Located at 7 Route 37 East, the parcel was the subject of a zoning board application last year. The property owner hoped to build an electronic billboard at the site, but the application failed to pass.

Township Administrator Paul Shives said the purchase of the property, putting it in Toms River's open space coffers, will block any future attempt to put a billboard there.

Joseph N. Bisogno, has accepted the township’s offer of $42,000 for purchase of the property, in lieu of condemnation proceedings on the property.

The township appraised the property for that amount, and made an offer to Bisogno, who accepted it. The ordinance was approved at the council meeting last night, with little public discussion.

In , Jersey Outdoor Media, LLC hoped to build at 600 square-foot LED billboard, which would have stood 40 feet high at the intersection of state roads Routes 37 and 166. The application failed to pass the zoning board, 4-3, where a five vote majority is needed.

The purpose of the land buy, according to the council ordinance, was to secure land "as open space to ensure against development that would be unsightly, distracting, and create a roadway hazard."