Brick to Purchase Property Where Six-Home Development Was Planned Near School

A map showing the property at 2416 (Old) Hooper Avenue, Brick, N.J. (Credit: Google Earth)

Brick Township officials introduced a bond measure Tuesday night that will allow the township to purchase a parcel of land wedged between a school property and acreage that is already preserved. The same lot had already received state approval for a six-home residential development.

The property is located at 2416 (Old) Hooper Avenue, a 4.25-acre parcel that is located roughly behind Drum Point Elementary School and its neighboring sports complex. To the east, the same property backs up to what is commonly known as the “Airport Tract,” a massive 285-acre area of preserved land that was once home to a small airport.

The bond ordinance will allow the township to borrow $883,500 toward the purchase of the land, which comes at a price of $930,000. Real estate records show the property having been listed for sale at $1 million in January, only to be taken off the market in May. County property records show a number of notices of settlement filed between the owner, Richard Osborn, and the township dating back to March and updated in August. The sale itself has not yet been executed.

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A map showing the property at 2416 (Old) Hooper Avenue, Brick, N.J. (Credit: Google Earth)

County records also show that while still in the hands of the previous owner, a company known as Hooper Avenue Development LLC successfully obtained a development permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection that authorized the construction of six single-family homes, reconstructed access drives from public streets, three bioretention basins and an underground network of pipes and utilities. The state permit was required since the property is located within a tidal flood hazard area. While the state permit was approved in 2022, the project never appeared for site plan approval before planning or zoning boards in Brick. The parcel is located within the Rural Residential (RR2) zone.

The bond ordinance requires a public hearing and second vote before final adoption. The land purchase itself must also be approved by the township council.