Toms River borrowing $2M to buy boat works and kill development, but not before outburst

TOMS RIVER - The township has moved forward with the acquisition of the old Boat Works building on Robbins Parkway, preventing large-scale development on a site located next to Huddy Park.

Council members voted 5 to 2 to borrow $2 million through a bond to acquire the dilapidated building, which has been vacant for many years, with Councilmen David Ciccozzi and James Quinlisk voting against it because of concerns that the purchase was being rushed by Mayor Daniel Rodrick's administration.

Both questioned why a special meeting was called for 3 p.m. on a Monday just to vote on the bond issue, when the council has a regular meeting set for July 26.

The purchase price is $1,850,000, but the sale to the township is pending an environmental study of the property for any potential issues, according to Township Attorney Gregory P. McGuckin.

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"It's a big step forward in preventing overdevelopment downtown," Rodrick said. "After this, I would love to repeal the downtown redevelopment plan."

Councilman Justin Lamb said the results of the last several elections in Toms River show that residents don't want large-scale development in the downtown.

"The old status quo of big government was rejected by the voters, starting in 2022," Lamb said, referring to the ward council election that year in which Rodrick was re-elected and Lamb was elected. "Toms River said 'no,' they want their rich history, they want more access to the Toms River, they want more family activities."

Rodrick has suggested a marina with a seasonal tiki bar and a splash park could be built in the area so more families can utilize Huddy Park. The property owner, Cam Trust of Point Pleasant Beach, will be responsible for demolishing the buildings on the site, the mayor said.

Downtown resident Irene Watson said she supported the purchase.

"It has been under developers' eyes in recent years," Watson said, noting that purchasing the land will allow residents more access to the Toms River.

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Former mayor and Township Historian J. Mark Mutter also supported the purchase, noting that Capodagli Property Co. had initially proposed a large banquet hall, restaurant and parking garage for the property. Capodagli never brought its plans before the township's planning board, instead withdrawing from its tentative plans to purchase the land.

Mutter said the 2023 mayoral election, when Rodrick and his running mates won a resounding victory, was a referendum on grand plans to redevelop Toms River's downtown The township's residents rejected those ideas by electing Rodrick, he said.

The boat works property, which includes a former boat manufacturing facility and a small house that was used as an office, is assessed at $925,000 this year, according to county tax records. Owner Cam Trust paid $17,380 in property taxes for the waterfront land in 2023.

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Yorkshire Drive resident Eric Muniz said he supported purchasing the boat works but is "very concerned that due diligence has been done on the property."

Rodrick noted that an environmental study done 20 years ago came back "clean," but a new one will be completed before the township finalizes purchase of the property.

The meeting was briefly marred by an outburst from Councilman Thomas Nivison, a 2023 running mate of the mayor who has recently been at odds with Rodrick over the mayor's decision to turn over Toms River's animal shelter operations to Ocean County.

Nivison, who eventually voted to support acquisition of the boat works building, initially made a motion to table the second reading of the adoption of the ordinance providing the funding to buy it. But his motion to table failed by a 4-to-3 margin, with only Quinlisk and Ciccozzi joining him to support it.

Nivison said he had a series of questions for Rodrick regarding the property purchase, including whether the township was making "a low-ball offer," if Toms River had gotten three appraisals for the land, and if the township had attempted to get grant funding to buy the land. When Rodrick attempted to answer his questions, Nivison said, "You are confusing everybody with all the double-talk, you are prepared with an answer for everything."

He accused his running mates, George Lobman, Lynn O'Toole and Craig Coleman, along with Rodrick's former running mate, Lamb, of being "yes" men and women for the mayor.

"It's ridiculous the way you vote yes," Nivison said to Coleman. "She votes yes, he votes yes."

"I am voting my conscious," Coleman said.

"I can’t hold back anymore," Nivison said, raising his voice. "You were respected until you became his 'yes' man."

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Rodrick pointed out that Nivison had run on a platform opposed to overdevelopment, and both Lobman and O'Toole said they voted to buy the property to prevent high-rise development and to preserve the remaining river access.

"We had a platform," O'Toole said to Nivison.

"Lynn, you barely wake up to vote," Nivison snapped.

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"You ran on overdevelopment and you have made your whole platform the animal shelter," the mayor said. When Nivison voted to buy the property, in spite of his concern that it is a "hasty decision," Rodrick thanked him for his vote, which was needed for the bond ordinance; it required five votes to pass.

The boat works buildings were badly flooded during Superstorm Sandy and have been vacant since. No repairs have been made to the buildings in the nearly 13 years since Sandy.

The buildings at 1 Robbins Parkway, next to the Toms River, originally housed a wooden boat construction business — with two marine railways into the river — founded by Anthony Irons and Capt. Ben Asay in 1919, according to a report on the property produced by former township planner Dave Roberts.

Later in the meeting, Nivison apologized.

"I want to encourage my fellow councilmen and women to start thinking a little bit more independently," he said. "I apologize for the outburst earlier."

Jean Mikle covers Toms River, Seaside Heights and several other Ocean County towns. She's also passionate about the Shore's storied music scene. Contact her: @jeanmikle, jmikle@gannettnj.com.