NJ mayor pits neighbor against neighbor as fight over beach replenishment project gets dirty

Fight over NJ beach sand replenishment gets dirty

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A New Jersey township that’s getting resistance to a beach restoration project has draw a line in the sand.

Officials in Long Beach Township say they’ll use “peer pressure” to pit neighbor against neighbor in an effort to persuade 230 oceanfront property owners to sign on and let the project proceed.

A lawyer for the holdouts says he fears violence and accuses the township of promoting anarchy. But some residents favor the township’s approach.

Long Beach Island is a narrow barrier island getting thinner because of erosion from each passing storm. Engineers hope to build up the sand again to protect oceanfront homes from falling into the sea.

But some homeowners complain that the new dunes would block their view. Others fear the government will build a boardwalk or toilets next to their homes.