Pinelands Commission Hearing On County Expansion Plans For Robert J. Miller Airpark On For Tonight

The state Pinelands Commission will hold a public hearing on a proposed agreement between Ocean County and the New Jersey Pinelands Commission tonight at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.

The agreement would allow the county to top off trees on 585 acres and remove 17 acres of trees at the airpark off Route 530 to make way for a 3,600-foot  crosswinds runway and nine 275-foot by 50-foot "T" hangars for airplane storage.

"The proposed development is not fully consistent with the threatened and endangered wildlife and wetlands...standards of the Pinelands Comprehensive Management Plan," according to the Pinelands Commission website.

The airport opened in 1968. There are approximately 100 planes based at the airpark, which encompasses 822 acres. There were roughly 31,000 flights last year, according to the memorandum of agreement between the Pinelands Commission and Ocean County.

"Most of the existing airport an proposed development are located in the preservation area district," the memorandum states. "New airport facilities are not a permitted use in the preservation area district. As a result, the airport is a pre-existing non-conforming use."

The proposed development will affect nine endangered and threatened species and one Pinelands plant species, according to the memorandum.