The 28-acre Patcong Farms Garden Center was once a beautiful and popular landscape nursery. Located in Egg Harbor Township on Blackman Road near Patcong Creek, it rarely made news simply because it was a quiet, wonderful place to visit and shop – the type of place that visitors and residents thought would always be there.
Unfortunately it fell on hard times and closed in 2020 after 25 years of operation. By 2021 it was in a neglected state, falling into disrepair. It had become an eyesore – so much so that the township designated it a property in need of redevelopment.
In 2022 the township rezoned the site from commercial to residential use and adopted a redevelopment plan by national builder D.R. Horton in 2023 to develop the property into 95 single-family homes. The whole project covers more than 56 acres when the designated open space areas are considered. An impressive project, but not everyone was enamored.
During public hearings in February 2023, there was opposition from citizens who questioned the township’s choice of redevelopment over environmental preservation. They were concerned the project posed a threat to wildlife and that fertilizer and pesticide runoff from manicured lawns would contaminate the creek.
An online petition posted at the time and organized by environmental advocate Ellen Gregory, was signed by 434 people calling for the township to pursue preservation options such as Green Acres or county open-space funding, instead of allowing development that could harm Patcong Creek and the Great Egg Harbor River.
It argues that the township was “quietly approving the conversion of what could be a beautiful natural habitat site into a plethora of asphalt and cookie-cutter housing,” warning of flooding risks, traffic, school overcrowding and long-term environmental damage.
“I absolutely do not begrudge the owners of Patcong Farms for wanting to sell the property for a profit; that is 100% their right,” Gregory continued. “My concern is that our government leaders don’t seem to be concerned enough, and haven’t explored or exhausted every other avenue for that property before approving yet another housing development.”
The approval includes several environmental protections including leaving a large portion of the property undeveloped, a 50-yard buffer of untouched land around all wetlands, installation of stormwater systems to keep contaminants from running into Patcong Creek and adherence to NJDEP coastal development rules.
The developer will have to monitor wildlife such as bald eagles, ospreys, peregrine falcons and eastern box turtles. Also, to make up for any trees or habitat removed, they are required to plant native trees and shrubs to minimize habitat loss, and it’s laid out in a “curvilinear street design” that protects mature trees and wetlands, according to VHB, the engineering firm that developed the site plan.
Meanwhile, the project has been steaming ahead, shifting operations to a local D.R. Horton affiliate in March and beginning tree removal in June.
The greenhouses and outbuildings have been removed and the old nursery site sits poised to grow again, only this time instead of plants and flowers, it’s streets and houses that will be covering the land.
Ranging in size from 1,900 to 3,200 square feet, and priced between $400,000 and $600,000, the project calls for a public access kayak dock on Patcong Creek, two play areas, intersection redesign at Blackman Road/English Creek Avenue and lots of open space.
But as of November, delays from drainage and contractor issues have reportedly stalled progress.
Pete Castellano, elected to Egg Harbor Township Committee in November, who has recently made social media posts skeptical of this and other residential development projects in the township, summed up his concerns.
“The former farm and nursery was rezoned, ignoring local development standards,” said Castellano, the first Democrat to be elected to Township Committee in 30 years. He will be sworn in in January.
“A plan for 95 homes was approved by a private developer, and that plan faced strong opposition from residents due to environmental and infrastructure issues, traffic and impact on schools. Resident’s concerns have been ignored.” By designating the site as “in need of redevelopment,” it allowed the township to rapidly change zoning for a particular property and accelerate the approval process with minimum variances required. In this case commercial zoning was switched to residential zoning.
I contacted Castellano for an update on the actual building and land development.
“While I have been following this issue and attending meetings, the committee has not made clear what the precise status of the project is,” he said. “In response to public inquiry, it has been stated by the township administrator that the project is on some type of hold. And no homes have been built thus far.”
While the story of Patcong Farms is still being written, other communities have proven that public opposition can make a difference at the Jersey Shore.
Some years back, as reported in these pages, the residents and local government of Margate made a decision to basically eliminate motels and hotels – to say nothing of the bars that made up the infamous Barbary Coast – from the city’s landscape. The majority opinion was that transients were infringing on the rights of Margate residents to live quietly and peacefully.
The people spoke and the residents got exactly what they wanted. Maybe the same will happen some day in Egg Harbor Township.
As Ellen Gregory said, “We don’t want to be another ‘shore town’ drowning in tourists and tidal flooding, a hub for new restaurants or bars, or a place where hotels and housing developments block our views of beautiful sunrises and sunsets.”
It will take people like Ellen Gregory to keep our future sunrises and sunsets beautiful.
James FitzPatrick contributed to this story.
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
