The State of NJ can use eminent domain to take land for dune building in Margate. That ruling came done on Monday citing 87 city-owned properties will be taken by the state for a beach-replenishment project along Absecon Island. Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Julio Mendez ruled there was NO abuse of the State’s eminent domain power.
Absecon Island Replenishment project was developed to protect the coastal communities in New Jersey from storms. NJ Gov. Chris Christie has been pushing for protective dunes along the Jersey’s 127-mile coastline.
Margate has argued that back bays, not the ocean, are where the flooding problems come from. NJ wants 13-foot-tall dunes, while Margate wants a bulkhead.
NJ & Margate have been fighting for over 5 years…about this beach replenishment project.
The State Department of Environmental Protection is spearheading the entire coastal New Jersey project. The Absecon Island portion; Margate, Ventnor and Longport, will cost $40 million, paid for by federal emergency money carved out after Hurricane Sandy.