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Residents urge Pinelands appeal as county-backed roundabout draws local opposition
Summary
Residents at Shamong Township’s June 9 meeting pressed elected officials to oppose a proposed roundabout at Stokes and Willow Grove Road, saying they were not notified and fearing property impacts; township officials said final authority rests with Burlington County and the Pinelands Commission and encouraged public attendance at an upcoming hearing.
Dozens of Shamong residents used the township’s public-comment period on June 9 to press officials to block a proposed roundabout at Stokes and Willow Grove Road, arguing the project would harm property values and that residents were not adequately notified.
Judy Shahin (102 Willow Grove Road) told the committee she was never told the county planned a roundabout and said she would have ‘‘never purchased this home’’ had she known. ‘‘How are you reimbursing me for the value of my home going to crap because I’m going to be sitting on a circle?’’ she said.
Mayor Drochi and other officials responded that the intersection is a county road and that the Pinelands Commission and Burlington County hold the permitting and road-opening authority. Officials said the Pinelands is scheduled to meet Friday morning and encouraged residents to attend and, if warranted, file administrative appeals. The mayor said an appeal filed by a local resident would pause the process and bring the matter to an administrative law judge.
The committee clarified the township’s limited legal options. Solicitor Doug Heinhold explained that the Pinelands review focuses on environmental criteria such as impervious surface and wetland impacts; county decisions about road design and federal earmarks for roundabout projects also shape outcomes. The committee said it has repeatedly requested LED warning lights and other lower-cost safety measures and that those alternatives were considered before the roundabout plan advanced.
Township officials urged residents to take their case to the Pinelands and Burlington County Board of Commissioners and to bring signs and turnout to the hearing. ‘‘If 50 people went out there Friday morning at 9:30 and made it known with their signs and their presence that we don’t want this, perhaps some voices will be heard,’’ one official said.
Next steps: residents’ appeals and attendance at the Pinelands meeting were identified as the immediate avenues to influence the process; the committee did not take formal action on the roundabout during the June 9 meeting.
