Long Beach Township, NJ passed an ordinance recently requiring oceanfront homeowners to repair damaged dunes like these if they are on private oceanfront property. But there is a catch. If you signed the construction easement for the beach replenishment project, the town will fix the dune damage themselves, as they always have. The unanswered question is will these Do-It-Yourself homeowners have to get permits from the state DEP to legally enter and manipulate the dunes? Oceanfront homeowners typically wait 5 months for a CAFRA permit when doing any work on their homes. The new ordinance says the work needs to be done in 15 days. Hmmm.
Imagine 25 homeowners all hiring different contractors wielding bulldozers in a mad rush to fix their dunes in two weeks. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
More here http://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/ocean/article_4cdf75a4-07a4-11df-a7d9-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story
The disaster is allowing people to build to close to the ocean and then expecting the rest of us to protect their homes. Imagine if people wanted to build on the rim of an active volcano and demanded our protection and you have an idea of how stupid this whole picture is. You want to live right next to the Atlantic or Pacific and u can afford it, suck it up and take some responsibility for your actions and stop asking the rest of us to protect your friggin 2nd homes.
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