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Residents urge committee to pause auction of township lots over wetlands, flood and title concerns
Summary
Multiple Middletown residents asked the committee to pause or rescind a planned auction of nine township parcels, citing mapped wetlands, coastal dunes, wildlife habitat, potential flood impacts and requests for title-search documentation before sales proceed.
Dozens of residents urged the Middletown Township Committee to pause or rescind an upcoming municipal auction of several township-owned parcels, saying mapped wetlands, coastal dunes and neighborhood flooding risks were not sufficiently considered before listing the lots.
Speakers at the public-comment portion pressed the committee for title-search documentation and for New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reviews where appropriate. Peggy Figuele, who said she lives across from the parcel at Port Monmouth, told the committee, "Selling this land to a private developer will cause severe consequences to our community." Residents asked whether parcels were deed-restricted or dedicated for open space and whether mapped wetlands would limit buildability.
Committee staff explained the auction practice: the township periodically aggregates tax-foreclosed or noncontributing lots for sale, performs title searches, and reserves the right to reject bid(s). Staff told residents that some parcels do appear on the town's RASI open-space inventory and therefore are not for sale, while other parcels are not preserved and may be taxable if not used for open space. Staff also said prospective buyers must carry out their own due diligence, including DEP approvals and letters of interpretation for wetland status.
Several residents asked the committee to delay the auction timeline to allow a public meeting and fuller review; Bill Donnelly specifically asked the committee to prepare an agenda item to rescind the sale temporarily and take additional public comment. Staff committed to providing the title-search information to residents and to meeting with neighborhood representatives before the auction deadline. The transcript records residents' concerns that selling wooded, wet parcels could worsen flooding and remove natural storm buffers.
No formal motion to rescind the auction was recorded in the meeting minutes; staff said auctions are anticipated revenue in the adopted budget and that the township retains the right to reject bids if they are too low or otherwise problematic.
