The BERKELEY Times Vol. 31 - No. 21
In This Week’s Edition
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Community News Pages 9-11
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November 15, 2025
New Public Beach Is Speeding, Crashes Near Houses Being Built Remain Concern
Photo by Chris Lundy This beach used to be privately owned but will now be part of Berkeley Township. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – It’s Photo courtesy Arya Properties unusual for a town to This rendering shows what the houses acquire a new beach, might look like. but that’s what happened when a developer purchased a private beach and gave it to Berkeley Township. Arya Properties purchased the Island Beach Motor Lodge. It’s a long building stretching from Route 35 to the ocean in the South Seaside Park section of Berkeley. It’s just north of Island Beach State Park. The lodge and the restaurant will be demolished and replaced with the Island Beach Estates – 16 single-family houses. Two of the homes will be ocean front and have a shared driveway to 24th Avenue. Both of these houses will have five parking spaces just for themselves, using a garage and driveway. Ten houses will have driveways on 24th Avenue and the remaining four houses will have driveways on 23rd Avenue. On street parking would be increased from 19 spaces to 21. Some
will be individual and some will be three in a row, in between driveways. The dune walkover to the beach will continue to exist. Currently, the property is completely impervious, meaning that there’s no way for rainwater to get through the asphalt and lodge and filter into the ground. This is something the State Department of Environmental Protection looks at. After the houses are built, about half of the ground would be opened up. However, there’s a note in the paperwork that states if the homeowners build patios, this would change somewhat. Stones will be used in the yards, and the developer will plant vegetation. The applicant predicts that demolition will begin in February. There won’t be any demolition between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Construction will take about 18 months. At the end of the project, the developer will repave the portion of 24th Avenue that it will be using. They will also be installing street lighting where needed. The township’s land use board allowed some waivers, such as allowing the homes on slightly smaller lots than required. The restaurant on site will close just after New Year’s, Arya Marketing Director Ian Singer said. The owner was (New Houses - See Page 4)
By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – Traffic safety continues to be a concern among residents in many areas of town. At a recent Township Council meeting, a Silver Ridge Westerly resident talked about a bad crash at the intersection of Nostrand Drive and Whitmore Drive. She said a fourway blinking stop sign should be put there. She has called the police in the past, asking them to put out the digital signs that tell you that you’re speeding, and the police have been very responsive, she said. Evelyn Ludwig of nearby Crescent Drive noted how the neighborhood has elderly people walking their dogs, which can be dangerous with cars speeding by. John Hurley said he lives on Nostrand. A crash hit with enough force that a vehicle flipped over. “Every night at 5, people speed down Whitmore,” he said. Every Berkeley Township Council meeting is attended by Police Chief Kevin Santucci or his designee. At this meeting, it was Capt. Peter La Rocca. “We can certainly step up enforcement and do a traffic study,” he said. Regarding a different kind of speeding, Ross Pirrotta, co-president of the Berkeley Shores Homeowners Association, wants a no-wake zone in the water. That neighborhood is made up of many lagoons emptying into the (Speeding - See Page 4)
GOP Celebrates Victories Despite Ciattarelli Loss
Photo by Stephanie Faughnan Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, left, introduces next year’s Ocean County Board of Commissioners, (from left) Rob Arace, Jennifier Bacchione, Ray Gormley, Frank Sadeghi, Sam Ellenbogen.
By Stephanie Faughnan TOMS RIVER - Republicans in Ocean County turned out in overwhelming numbers for Jack Ciattarelli, giving the GOP gubernatorial candidate his largest margin of victory anywhere in New Jersey. Yet despite the county’s strong support, Democrat Mikie Sherrill claimed a double-digit win statewide. According to unofficial results as of November 7, Sherrill secured 56.4 percent of the statewide vote, compared to Ciattarelli’s 43 percent. In Ocean County, however, Ciattarelli earned nearly 67 percent of ballots cast, trouncing Sherrill’s 32.5 percent.
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The decisive local victory came as no surprise to Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, who predicted the outcome before polls closed. “Ocean County has done everything we’ve been asked to do,” Gilmore said in a personal interview at the GOP Ocean County watch party. “I think the results of tonight’s election in Ocean County will prove that we did support him, and there are some people that just didn’t like the fact that I supported Bill Spadea in the primary and fought for him like I fight for every candidate that I endorse and support.” Out of 476,000 overall registered voters in Ocean County, (GOP - See Page 5)
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