NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. — After years of disputes regarding the condition of its beaches, a New Jersey resort community is on the brink of resolving a significant conflict that has involved extensive legal battles and fines. Mayor Patrick Rosenello announced that North Wildwood has come to an agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to set aside claims from both sides and to begin efforts aimed at widening the town’s beaches, which attract numerous visitors from the Philadelphia area.
The proposed agreement is set to be voted on by the North Wildwood council on Tuesday. If approved, it will settle all ongoing disputes between North Wildwood and the state, according to Mayor Rosenello, who is affiliated with the Republican party. The timeline for the beach replenishment project is tentatively set for 2025, he added.
This arrangement involves the cancellation of a $12 million fine imposed by New Jersey on North Wildwood for unauthorized beach maintenance, which the state claims could exacerbate erosion. Additionally, North Wildwood plans to drop a lawsuit against the state related to the reimbursement of more than $30 million spent on emergency sand trucking over the past decade.
Rosenello remarked, “We agreed that we will concentrate on protecting our beaches instead of suing each other.” The key issue at the center of this prolonged dispute is that North Wildwood remains one of the few Jersey Shore communities that has not yet received a complete beach replenishment project from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers due to challenges in obtaining necessary easements from local property owners.
The situation regarding beach erosion has worsened to the extent that protective sand dunes have been destroyed, leaving local homes and businesses at greater risk for flood damage and other impacts from severe storm events. In January, the mayor highlighted the severity of the erosion by posing with remnants of a dune that only reached his knees.
Amid these ongoing challenges, the New Jersey Department of Transportation conducted an interim replenishment effort last summer after Democratic Governor Phil Murphy described the erosion in North Wildwood as “shocking.” According to Rosenello, this recent project has proven to be effective in the time since its completion.
While the environmental department has not commented on the proposed agreement, the mayor expressed optimism that the council will approve it and forward it to the state on Tuesday.
In addition to putting an end to the legal disputes, North Wildwood has agreed to contribute $1 million toward the eventual federal beach replenishment project once it occurs in the city. They will also allocate $700,000 to a state water pollution control fund, as per the mayor’s statement.
Moreover, the agreement establishes a well-defined regulatory pathway for North Wildwood to secure the necessary environmental permits for additional shore protection initiatives, such as an extension of an existing sea wall. In the past, the town undertook various emergency repairs, including the construction of a bulkhead without obtaining state approval. New Jersey’s environmental protection commissioner Shawn LaTourette cautioned the town in 2023 that continuing unauthorized projects could lead to more severe repercussions, including the potential loss of future funding for shore protection.