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An Ocean County town is taking another step toward making a big change. Seaside Park will hold two public meetings for residents to speak on the proposed annexation of the South Seaside Park neighborhood in Berkeley Township, officials said. It is the latest development stemming from a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in July upholding the South Seaside Park neighborhood’s right to pursue an exit from its current Ocean County town to join another municipality. The South Seaside Park neighborhood has debated for years whether it should leave Berkeley Township to become part of neighboring Seaside Park. Berkeley Mayor John Bacchione said the township does not want to lose the neighborhood but, in light of the high court ruling, has run out of legal options. “We don’t want to see South Seaside Park leave Berkeley. It’s waterfront property. On top of that, financially, it represents 10.43% of our tax base,” Bacchione said. Seaside Park will have to decide whether it wants the neighborhood in its borders, he said. “It really is up to Seaside Park. It’s in the hands of their governing body. I’m sure they’ll make the right decision,” Bacchione told NJ Advance Media on Friday. Seaside Park Mayor John Peterson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The two public meetings in Seaside Park will be held Nov. 10 and Nov. 24. The meetings will include a presentation from Government Strategy Group, a Wall-based firm that Seaside Park hired in September to prepare an “annexation impact study.” The firm is being paid up to $125,000, according to the agreement. Upon receiving the report, the Seaside Park council will decide whether to pursue a local ordinance authorizing the addition of South Seaside Park, business administrator Karen Kroon told NJ Advance Media on Friday. The change would not need voter approval in Seaside Park, Kroon said. More than 70% of registered voters in South Seaside Park submitted petitions in support of the proposed exit in 2014. The idea was rejected in 2021 by the Berkeley Township Council. South Seaside Park is the only part of Berkeley located on the barrier island with Seaside Park and is separated from the rest of the township by Barnegat Bay. The neighborhood covers approximately 10 blocks and has several hundred residents. To access most Berkeley Township services, South Seaside Park residents must leave the barrier island and travel up to 16 miles through seven other municipalities, residents said. It is rare for New Jersey municipalities to merge or adjust borders. In Morris County, the possibility of merging Roxbury and Mount Arlington was discussed for several years before being abandoned in 2019. The most recent merger was in 2013, when Princeton Township and Princeton Borough formed the Municipality of Princeton. Prior to its incorporation in 1898, Seaside Park was part of Berkeley. Seaside Park is just under one square mile and has approximately 2,000 residents.
