Point Pleasant Beach council declines to adopt ferry-regulation ordinance after heated public hearing

The Point Pleasant Beach Mayor and Council on June 16 defeated an ordinance that would have added ferry commutation services to the borough's marine-commercial rules and created a licensing regime for ferry operations. The motion to adopt Ordinance 2026-18, as amended, failed on a 3–2 roll-call vote: Councilmen Dixon, Ramos and Councilwoman Burns voted yes; Councilwoman Silison and Councilman Cortez voted no.

The ordinance as written would have clarified that "ferry commutation service" can be a permitted marine service in the MC zone if the operator first obtained a license from the governing body and completed any required land-use approvals. The council earlier removed a section that would have allowed the borough to issue temporary licenses without site-plan approval after the Planning Board advised that the temporary provision conflicted with the borough's master plan.

Residents who live near the proposed docking area on Inlet Drive led a long, often emotional public comment period, telling the council the ordinance was rushed and did not answer questions about traffic, parking, emergency access, ADA access and enforcement. Mary Alice Canella, who said she lives on Inlet Drive, told the council, "I personally feel like this ordinance is rushed. It's incomplete. It's way too vague to address the concerns that have been raised." Other speakers urged caution, citing narrow streets, limited sidewalks and the risk of gridlock on summer weekends.

Supporters — including several business owners and residents who said the ferry could bring shoulder-season visitors and spending to local restaurants and shops — urged the council to allow a pilot program or to clarify licensing to provide the borough with regulatory authority. Proponents argued a narrowly constrained, monitored pilot would produce data about ridership and traffic impacts.

The borough attorney and other municipal staff repeatedly told the council that, with the temporary-license provision removed, the ordinance would still require operators to obtain land-use approvals (site plan and any necessary variances) before a license could become effective. Planning Board counsel had written that the Planning Board found the ordinance's change to the marine-service definition consistent with the master plan but considered the remainder of the proposal inconsistent and recommended applicants seek site-plan review and any variances from the land-use board.

After the vote, Mayor Douglas Vital and council members said they would continue to seek ways to balance economic opportunity and resident safety. Council members who opposed adoption cited the process — residents and nearby property owners had limited time to review substantive changes before the public hearing — and argued that applicants should present complete site plans and studies to land-use boards before the governing body adopts a broad change affecting permitted uses.

Next steps: Because the ordinance did not pass, there is no new licensing requirement on the books. Any ferry operator seeking to operate in Point Pleasant Beach would still need to follow current zoning and state processes; if and when a similar ordinance is reintroduced, it will return to the council for the formal three-meeting adoption sequence and additional public review.