Brick Planning Board OK’s Carve-Out for ‘Nature-Based’ Playground in Preservation Area

Brick Township’s planning board on Wednesday night approved an application by the municipal government to subdivide a small portion of the 31 acres preserved in Breton Woods to be used as a playground that will be centered around nature and learning, officials said.

The board unanimously approved the carve-out of 275,730 square feet, or 6.33 acres, of the 31 acres that will be maintained by Brick Township. Of that space, however, only two to three acres would be used for the playground, and the rest would continue to be fully wooded. The township’s plan also calls for the construction of sidewalks and curbs around the site – located adjacent to the Osbornville Elementary School – which will not require the take-down of any trees.

The location, near Osbonrville School, where a playground will be built on preserved land. (Photo: Shorebeat)

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The plan faced some light opposition, but ultimately fears of development of the parcel – where 59 residential homes had been proposed by a builder – were alleviated by the description of the future playground by officials.

“It’s not what the people who came to the meetings had in mind,” one resident told board members, before more details were provided.

“The Trust for Public Land has reached out to us to contribute to, and help us design and pay for, a nature-based playground which will have signage, speak to the Pinelands that are there, the box turtles and other species,” said Township Planner Tara Paxton. “Our part of it is 6.33 acres. I don’t foresee us clearing any more than two and three-quarters acres. That is the size of neighborhood parks, and this will be in keeping with those.”

The area will only house a playground with the interpretive signs and, perhaps, some space where schoolchildren can enjoy an outdoor lesson. There will be a small parking area, potentially with environmentally-friendly porous pavement to filter rainwater.

“No basketball courts, no fields,” said Paxton. “We want it to remain nature-based. We will protect those native species and we’ll get to teach the children of the neighborhood about those species through this playground.”

The remainder of the site, representing the vast majority of the preserved land, will be left as-is.

“The 25 acres held by the county will remain untouched,” said Township Attorney Kevin Starkey.

The location, near Osbonrville School, where a playground will be built on preserved land. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The location, near Osbonrville School, where a playground will be built on preserved land. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Paxton said the township will generally leave the entirety of the property as-is, but it will be monitored to ensure there is no access by ATV drivers and some natural barriers may be placed to prevent ATVs from entering the trails on the site.

“The design of the playground, and driveway in, and the parking lot will be done in a manner that will be as environmentally-sensitive as possible, but the preservation was for the entirety of the municipality,” Paxton explained. “What we in the planning office has to consider is that this neighborhood has no playground facility, biking or walking facility near them.”

The parking area and entrance to the playground will not be used for extra school parking or a cut-through route, Paxton said.

The location, near Osbonrville School, where a playground will be built on preserved land. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The playground has yet to be designed. Wednesday’s hearing only dealt with permission to subdivide the property, a measure which passed unanimously. The Ocean County Planning Board has already approved the subdivision.

The formal closing on the property, located between Laurel Avenue and Drum Point Road, occurred earlier Wednesday. The state has confirmed the township would receive a $1.2 million reimbursement from the DEP for their share of the $8.55 million purchase. In the end, Brick taxpayers will be responsible for $500,000 – a mere 5.8 percent of the purchase price. The remaining $6,840,000 in finding is being provided by the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust.