‘They are shooting for the sun, moon, stars’
BEESLEYS POINT — “They are really shooting for the sun, the moon and the stars up here,” Committeeman Tyler Casaccio said of the Beesley’s Point Development Group’s proposed project along Great Egg Harbor Bay.
Deputy Mayor Victor Nappen discussed current and future issues during the State of the Township address Feb. 27 before the Upper Township Business Association.
Nappen was joined by Committeeman Zach Palombo and Casaccio, who addressed what could be a community-defining project to replace the B.L. England Generating Station that used to be a prominent structure on the township’s skyline.
The annual membership meeting at the Tuckahoe Inn was sponsored by Mfit Gym, the UTBA and Broadley’s.
Casaccio, in his role as a member of the Beesleys Point Redevelopment Subcommittee, toured the site last month with Mayor Curtis Corson.
Formerly home to a power plant with a cooling tower, smoke stack and operational buildings — some of which were imploded to great fanfare — the site is now a blank slate except for an electrical substation.
“They are in the last stage of their remediation. Once they are finished with their remediation there, they will get their EPA approvals that the site is decontaminated, clean and ready for building,” Casaccio said. “Once that all goes through, they are ready to start their building process.”
No plans have been released publicly but Casaccio said he has seen the proposal, which includes a hotel, marina, shops and restaurants, a public boardwalk and seasonal and year-round housing.
“The place is really going to be a destination for the township. It is going to bring tons of business for everybody else throughout the community, in my opinion,” Casaccio said.
The freshman committeeman said the property is “a unique location — the way you get the sunrise, the sunset, the way it is cornered out there on the water. I think the developers really captured the uniqueness of that property.”
“They are going big and bold and we are here to support them through that process, because the more business we can attract here in town, the better it is for everyone.”
A member of the UTBA asked whether there were plans to handle the expected influx of traffic, which Casaccio played down as “an adjustment.”
“I understand people in Beesleys Point are used to having the world’s largest cul de sac down here,” he said, noting he grew up in the area and is “acutely aware of the traffic issues the residents of Beesleys Point are going to have some adjusting to get used to.”
“We are determined to get this project moving for these people and the way it is going to be moving forward, there is definitely going to be some summer traffic but we think it’s worth it for the destination that they are going to be creating for everyone in the township to use,” Casaccio said.
Another UTBA member asked about the project’s sewage.
Casaccio said the project would have its own treatment facility, but noted getting sewer service for the township is one of his priorities.
“Sewer is something I would love to have for our township,” he said, adding that the lack of sewers is always the first hurdle for anyone wanting to develop in the township.
He said the county is conducting a study about “supercharging” the treatment plant in Middle Township to accept more material.
“The eventual goal is to get sewer from Ocean City down Roosevelt, down Route 9 to Middle Township,” Casaccio said. “In theory, all of Route 9 will be able to tap in.”
He warned that it is really premature to discuss the project, which is “many, many years away,” but said “it is not going to get lost.”
Nappen noted some upcoming projects, such as the construction of sidewalks and curbs around the primary and elementary schools, athletic field improvements at Caldwell Park and a proposal for a new EMS facility.
He also discussed plans for a memorial to a township boy killed in a automobile accident.
“He was my son’s teammate, and so this is very important to me,” Nappen said.
Upper Township baseball and other teams are supporting the endeavor at the baseball field.
Nappen also asked the UTBA members for their support.
“One thing that I definitely want to talk to small businesses about is a rethinking of some of our community events,” he said, referencing newspaper headlines regarding plans to cancel the Easter egg hunt.
“That was never our intention,” he said. “We are sort of rethinking how we are going to do things and we want to involve our small businesses in these events. We would love to have some small businesses lend their support to us.”
– STORY and PHOTOS by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff