Building boom brought many changes to Brick
Building boom brought many changes to Brick
Published in the Asbury Park Press 09/8/05
BRICK — It is easy to differentiate between lifelong township residents and those who recently decided to make Ocean County's second-most-populous municipality their home.
Those familiar with the Brick of the 1970s and earlier often shake their heads in disgust when they think of making their way from Cedar Bridge Avenue to Drum Point Road, opting instead to remember the days when Brick had only one traffic light and Mantoloking Road was a dirt road.
"It was so different then," said Leah Palmer-Lee, 53, who moved to Brick when she was 5. "You used to not even have to lock your doors."
Yet, while those who moved to Brick to escape the gridlock in northern New Jersey acknowledge that traffic can be bad, they also recognize that things could be worse.
Brick's population has more than quadrupled since 1960, when it was 16,299, and more than doubled since 1970, when it sat at 35,057, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The latest estimates put it at nearly 79,000.
And, as the population grew, so did the nature of the township. Originally founded as a farming community, Brick remained rural until the 1970s.
The opening of the Garden State Parkway in the mid-1950s marked the beginning of the township's shift from a quiet rural resort and commercial community to the suburban community it is today. As part of that transition, general stores were replaced by large, nationally owned big-box stores.
Brick Plaza, for example, was redeveloped in the 1990s. Small department stores, such as H.L. Greens, where customers could buy everything from food to clothing to small appliances, were replaced by national chains.Today, Brick Plaza, at Route 70 and Chambers Bridge Road, serves as a sort of center for the township, which has no downtown.
Despite the variety of both small and large stores and the heavily congested roads of modern-day Brick, Palmer-Lee said she believes the township has maintained its small-neighborhood feel. For example, in Birchwood Park, where she lives, Palmer-Lee said she can walk virtually everywhere.
"I love it here," Palmer-Lee said.
William J. Dillon has also seen Brick grow. A police officer in northern New Jersey at the time, Dillon and his wife moved to Brick in 1979 in search of an affordable place to live. They found one, purchasing a house on Michelle Place."We've watched it kind of expand, with all the building," Dillon said.
Although concerned about the traffic and overcrowding, Dillon said he and his wife have been "fairly satisfied here." The school system prepared both of their sons to get into Ivy League schools. One is now a doctor; the other a lawyer. And while taxes have certainly increased throughout the years, Dillon said he believes the municipal tax rate remains reasonable, especially when you consider what you get for the money.
Although the average house assessment in Brick is certain to increase dramatically as a result of a revaluation scheduled to take effect in 2008, the township remains an affordable place for many young families looking to buy their first home. Last year, the average house in Brick was assessed at $131,440 and sold for $265,510.
It's the reason Steve and Joanna Richardson said they decided to move to Brick from the Fords section of Woodbridge."
We realized we couldn't afford to buy a home there, so we moved," Steve Richardson said.
With 333 acres of developable land left, Assistant Township Planner Tara Paxton said, Brick's population growth is leveling off. Of the remaining space, Paxton said some is zoned for residential development, the rest for commercial.
"The rate of growth is significantly declining because there's no more land left," Paxton said. "There's no more large tracts. We don't have five-lot subdivisions anymore. We have minor subdivisions — one to two or two to three homes."
With growth stabilized, officials are grappling with ways to alleviate traffic, as well as to limit the municipal tax rate despite rising fuel costs, negotiated salary hikes and the increase in the cost of providing employee health benefits.
The township is expected to receive more than $10 million from the sale of a 23-acre vacant property off Chambers Bridge Road to a developer interested in building as many as 300 senior apartments there. Although that will help, Republicans have said they believe the township needs a more long-term plan to control taxes.
The township's last large commercial lot is being developed. Approved by the Planning Board in May 2004, the shopping plaza, which fronts on Route 70 immediately east of Shorrock Street and near the Brick-Lakewood boundary, will include several restaurants and big-box stores.
Yet with demographic and land-use experts predicting that Ocean County's future growth will lie just west of Route 70 in Lakewood, Manchester and Jackson, experts say area residents shouldn't expect traffic tie-ups to end any time soon.
More immediately, the campaign for the mayor's seat — up for grabs in the November election — is already heating up and is certain to dominate the local news for the coming months.
At the heart of the debate among the candidates are traffic, taxes and the future of the Municipal Utilities Authority, which Kathy Russell — the Democratic mayoral candidate until she withdrew from the race last month and now a Township Council candidate — said she believes should be dissolved. Republicans also have raised doubts about Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli's ethics.
Scarpelli's Aug. 18 announcement that he had changed his mind and will seek an unprecedented fourth term as mayor breathed new life into both the Democrats' and Republicans' campaigns. Whereas the Republicans have focused their efforts thus far on ridding town hall of corruption, the Democrats have spoken about the importance of providing strong programs for the township's children.
Scarpelli will face Stephen C. Acropolis, a Republican, and Edward C. Mueller, who is running as an independent. Three council seats are also up for election this year.
"It has kind of energized us," Acropolis said on the day of Scarpelli's announcement. "I wouldn't say people were disappointed when Joe said he wasn't running, but it wouldn't be the same race. . . . It's going to be a good race."
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Published in the Asbury Park Press 09/8/05
BRICK — It is easy to differentiate between lifelong township residents and those who recently decided to make Ocean County's second-most-populous municipality their home.
Those familiar with the Brick of the 1970s and earlier often shake their heads in disgust when they think of making their way from Cedar Bridge Avenue to Drum Point Road, opting instead to remember the days when Brick had only one traffic light and Mantoloking Road was a dirt road.
"It was so different then," said Leah Palmer-Lee, 53, who moved to Brick when she was 5. "You used to not even have to lock your doors."
Yet, while those who moved to Brick to escape the gridlock in northern New Jersey acknowledge that traffic can be bad, they also recognize that things could be worse.
Brick's population has more than quadrupled since 1960, when it was 16,299, and more than doubled since 1970, when it sat at 35,057, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The latest estimates put it at nearly 79,000.
And, as the population grew, so did the nature of the township. Originally founded as a farming community, Brick remained rural until the 1970s.
The opening of the Garden State Parkway in the mid-1950s marked the beginning of the township's shift from a quiet rural resort and commercial community to the suburban community it is today. As part of that transition, general stores were replaced by large, nationally owned big-box stores.
Brick Plaza, for example, was redeveloped in the 1990s. Small department stores, such as H.L. Greens, where customers could buy everything from food to clothing to small appliances, were replaced by national chains.Today, Brick Plaza, at Route 70 and Chambers Bridge Road, serves as a sort of center for the township, which has no downtown.
Despite the variety of both small and large stores and the heavily congested roads of modern-day Brick, Palmer-Lee said she believes the township has maintained its small-neighborhood feel. For example, in Birchwood Park, where she lives, Palmer-Lee said she can walk virtually everywhere.
"I love it here," Palmer-Lee said.
William J. Dillon has also seen Brick grow. A police officer in northern New Jersey at the time, Dillon and his wife moved to Brick in 1979 in search of an affordable place to live. They found one, purchasing a house on Michelle Place."We've watched it kind of expand, with all the building," Dillon said.
Although concerned about the traffic and overcrowding, Dillon said he and his wife have been "fairly satisfied here." The school system prepared both of their sons to get into Ivy League schools. One is now a doctor; the other a lawyer. And while taxes have certainly increased throughout the years, Dillon said he believes the municipal tax rate remains reasonable, especially when you consider what you get for the money.
Although the average house assessment in Brick is certain to increase dramatically as a result of a revaluation scheduled to take effect in 2008, the township remains an affordable place for many young families looking to buy their first home. Last year, the average house in Brick was assessed at $131,440 and sold for $265,510.
It's the reason Steve and Joanna Richardson said they decided to move to Brick from the Fords section of Woodbridge."
We realized we couldn't afford to buy a home there, so we moved," Steve Richardson said.
With 333 acres of developable land left, Assistant Township Planner Tara Paxton said, Brick's population growth is leveling off. Of the remaining space, Paxton said some is zoned for residential development, the rest for commercial.
"The rate of growth is significantly declining because there's no more land left," Paxton said. "There's no more large tracts. We don't have five-lot subdivisions anymore. We have minor subdivisions — one to two or two to three homes."
With growth stabilized, officials are grappling with ways to alleviate traffic, as well as to limit the municipal tax rate despite rising fuel costs, negotiated salary hikes and the increase in the cost of providing employee health benefits.
The township is expected to receive more than $10 million from the sale of a 23-acre vacant property off Chambers Bridge Road to a developer interested in building as many as 300 senior apartments there. Although that will help, Republicans have said they believe the township needs a more long-term plan to control taxes.
The township's last large commercial lot is being developed. Approved by the Planning Board in May 2004, the shopping plaza, which fronts on Route 70 immediately east of Shorrock Street and near the Brick-Lakewood boundary, will include several restaurants and big-box stores.
Yet with demographic and land-use experts predicting that Ocean County's future growth will lie just west of Route 70 in Lakewood, Manchester and Jackson, experts say area residents shouldn't expect traffic tie-ups to end any time soon.
More immediately, the campaign for the mayor's seat — up for grabs in the November election — is already heating up and is certain to dominate the local news for the coming months.
At the heart of the debate among the candidates are traffic, taxes and the future of the Municipal Utilities Authority, which Kathy Russell — the Democratic mayoral candidate until she withdrew from the race last month and now a Township Council candidate — said she believes should be dissolved. Republicans also have raised doubts about Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli's ethics.
Scarpelli's Aug. 18 announcement that he had changed his mind and will seek an unprecedented fourth term as mayor breathed new life into both the Democrats' and Republicans' campaigns. Whereas the Republicans have focused their efforts thus far on ridding town hall of corruption, the Democrats have spoken about the importance of providing strong programs for the township's children.
Scarpelli will face Stephen C. Acropolis, a Republican, and Edward C. Mueller, who is running as an independent. Three council seats are also up for election this year.
"It has kind of energized us," Acropolis said on the day of Scarpelli's announcement. "I wouldn't say people were disappointed when Joe said he wasn't running, but it wouldn't be the same race. . . . It's going to be a good race."
Search the MLS to find your dream property and start packing today!
Contact Danielle now to find and buy or sell your house, condo, or commercial property!
posted by Danielle Seals at 4:41 PM
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