FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 19, 2014

Christie Administration Announces Post-Sandy Planning Grant to Ocean Township

Grant Will Help Sandy-Impacted Local Government with
Long-Term Recovery and Resiliency Planning



Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III today announced the award of a $225,000 Post-Sandy Planning Assistance Grant to Ocean Township, Ocean County, to put into effect comprehensive long-range plans designed to enable the Township to become resilient in the event of future significant weather events.

This is the second Post-Sandy Planning Grant that Ocean Township received. The Township was awarded its first planning grant in October 2013, and used the $26,000 grant to complete a Strategic Recovery Planning Report, which serves as the Township’s comprehensive guide for six recovery and resiliency projects funded by the second grant.

“We applaud Ocean Township for being proactive in planning for the long-term and developing ways to make their community better able to withstand potential future natural disasters,” said Commissioner Constable, whose Department is administering many of the Sandy Recovery programs for the State. “As one of the first local governments to be awarded Phase 2 planning grants, Ocean Township has demonstrated its commitment to finding solutions to the very specific challenges they are facing.”

Located adjacent to Barnegat Bay and between Forked River and Barnegat Beach, Ocean Township suffered severe flooding and damage associated with storm surges and flood waters. According to the Statement of Need the Township submitted with its grant application, about one-quarter of the 836 homes in the community experienced flooding from 2 to 10 feet. The flood waters affecting these houses did not recede until two to four days after the storm. As a result of flooding, 203 homes need to be elevated. The Township was littered with storm damage debris and power was out for 10 days, impacting municipal infrastructure.

The six projects identified in the Strategic Recovery Planning Report that will be funded by the second grant are for:

  • Waterfront Zoning Update to promote sustainable development and resiliency to future Sandy-type storms.
  • Master Plan Re-examination and Update to the Master Plan as well as address post-Sandy strategies and policies related to hazard mitigation and community resiliency.
  • Update to Floodplain Management Plan and Ordinance to identify and assess flood hazards within the Township as well as establish the goals and objectives for flood plain management and present a series of actions designed to minimize flooding and mitigate the impacts from flooding in the future.
  • Permit Application Process and Quality Improvement to determine where efficiencies can be implemented that will yield schedule and quality improvements.
  • Capital Improvement Plan to focus municipal capital investments on public facilities, fleets and equipment to build community resiliency in plants and equipment.
  • GIS Development to develop a Geographic Information System (GIS) that will increase the community’s resiliency and enable them to better prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. 

The Post-Sandy Planning Assistance Grants are funded through Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery monies provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The $5 million program is available to each of the nine counties most impacted by Sandy as determined by HUD (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union) and all of the municipalities within those counties that have experienced a ratable loss of at least 1% or $1 million due to the storm.

Applications for grants are still being accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis by the DCA’s Office of Local Planning Services, which is administering the program, until all funds are exhausted.

For more information on Post-Sandy Planning Assistance Grants, go to http://www.nj.gov/dca/services/lps/pspag.html.