The web site discoverdelawarebay.org includes a description of Money Island. We suggested this update that includes a few facts about the working waterfront community:
Money Island was once a robust salt hay farming outpost at the juncture of the Delaware Bay and Nantuxent Creek. Now, all that remains are a few houses, a marina and the docks where the days oyster catch for most of the bay is landed. In fact, most of NJ’s Delaware Bay oyster catch is landed here. Commercial crabbing
, conch, eel, bunker and soft shell crab operations contribute to make Money Island an important if obscure cog in the local commercial fishing economy. Total annual seafood catch is estimated at $28 million per year making Money Island the second most important seafood landing port in South Jersey. Money Island is the base of several environmental restoration projects in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, BaySave, Rutgers University and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.
The village also has much to offer the casual visitor or day-tripper. Recreational fishing is hot across all seasons; the marina maintains floating fishing docks open to the public daily. Enjoy the panoramic view from a shaded table on the large waterfront deck and check out the soft shell crab operations in season. The diversity of wildlife is startling.
The roughly 40 houses wind from the Bayfront along the mouth of the fast moving Nantuxent Creek and then follow its eastern bank as it winds back through acre after acre of marsh and farm fields dotted with islands of cedars and flanked by pine forests.
Eagles nest up the creek and can be seen daily moving from bank to bank. Great Horned Owls are known to call from the clumps of trees in the creek side back to the cedar islands on the outskirts of town.”
The trade group is grateful to State Senator Jeff VanDrew and Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak for their leadership
Marina Trades Association celebrates its recent success in reducing the sales tax on boats to 3.5%.
Three years ago Money Island Marina joined the Marine Trades Association of New Jersey (MTANJ) with a considerable investment of time and money. Few south Jersey marinas are active in this professional group and none of the other businesses in the Delaware Bay region are represented. It was a frustrating experience at first since relatively few people from the northern part of the state are even aware of our existence nor the severe challenges faced by the Delaware Bay communities and businesses. We quickly became aware how insignificant the south-west region is to the state’s overall economy and how unfair and devastating a “one size fits all” government can be to our sustainability. But over the course of three years Tony built relationships that appear to be leading toward recovery paths for the marina.
, the group gathered in Somers Point to celebrate recent successes. It is close to a miracle that NJ government approved the 3.5% sales tax reduction for boats in the State of New Jersey. The law passed in December and already became effective last month. Association members met with representatives of the Division of Taxation to work out the details in January. The association praised our State Senator Jeff VanDrew and Assemblyman Rob Andre for their leadership on the project.
Over the next year I expect that Money Island Marina will be involved in several more public/private partnership projects to improve our docks, boat ramp and land-based facilities to enhance public access to the waterways. We will upgrade our waste water treatment to meet the latest standards. Our electric supply will continue to transition toward solar, wind and other sustainable and renewable sources. Our well and pump house may soon be approved as the only fully permitted privately owned multi-dwelling water system in the entire state of New Jersey! Melissa Danko, Executive Director has been a big help already. Her husband Mike visited us at Money Island last summer in his official capacity with SeaGrant but has been equally helpful in an informal capacity with introductions to others who may play an important role in our recovery plans.
Yet none of these recovery projects are cheap. The cost of these projects is far beyond the economic value of the marina’s holding or income capacity. We can’t possibly do it alone. Yet it appears that we now have the verbal support of federal, state and county government officials as well as a number of non-profit organizations who want to see the marina remain in operation and succeed for the overall benefit of the community. We are grateful to MTANJ for all its help and guidance over the past three years. We expect to announce further progress in the near future.
I encourage other area businesses to consider joining and supporting this effective trade organization. – Tony
Today the IRS, the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA combined forces to take down one of the largest fish poachers in the northeast U.S. The overfishing investigation is ongoing and more may be arrested. Carlos Rafael, called “The Codfather” of commercial fishing and owner of Carlos Seafood
, Inc. in Massachusetts is accused of lying to federal authorities about the quantities and species of fish harvested by his fleet of boats caught in order to evade quotas aimed at guaranteeing sustainable fisheries. Carlos Seafood is one of the largest seafood companies in the U.S.
Overfishing hurts all of us and is devastating to small businesses that follow the law. CNN covered the story today at http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/26/us/northeast-fishing-business-owner-arrested/index.html
A few years ago federal authorities arrested oystermen for over-harvesting right here at Money Island. Smaller violators are arrested every year in the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay.
, that some of the buildings are not located on the lot that they are presumed to be associated with. In other cases the building permits appear to have the wrong block and lot numbers. Yesterday a partial explanation came from the Cumberland County Department of Health:
“From time to time the townships reevaluate their mapping systems and reassign block and lot numbers to adjust to the development in their areas. We are lucky enough to have a tax map program that allows us research historic block and lot information for areas where it is available. It is not all-inclusive but it does help, especially in the bay shore areas where it appears that the township reassigned block and lot numbers 2 to 3 times since the 50’s.”
We are working with the NJDEP and the Cumberland County Department of Health to work out permitting deficiencies that haunt the water and waste utilities of Money Island. We now have a workable plan (but still lack funding), but we recently agreed to put the entire project on hold until we determine which properties the state will offer to purchase and which will be left behind under BaySave’s stewardship.
commercial crabbing and oyster boat docks at Money Island Marina
2021 update: As we end 2020 and enter the new year it is clear that a handful – perhaps five or six – of the long term residents will stay at Money Island and the expansion of infrastructure investment that we saw this year will continue and expand in the year(s) ahead. The rest of the residents will eventually complete the buyout process. It is still unclear what, if anything, will happen with many nonresidential underwater properties (those mostly below the mean high tide line). That makes up the majority of the properties here. We presume that nothing will happen with them soon but we see increased interest in working waterfront by the aquaculture and energy industries. The strategy of the few remaining residents is to keep a low profile, avoid any redevelopment work that requires government permits, and wait for currently planned government actions and commercial infrastructure redevelopment to evolve over the coming years. We expect that the marina will eventually be redeveloped but that that may not happen until around 2030.
We were a bit concerned by this lopsided coverage by the Atlantic City Press this week where the reporter included five comments by the mayor about how his local government will be hurt by the property buyouts but not a single comment about the devastating financial impact on the residents and property owners here who have already suffered the loss of their homes and much of their property value.
The state apparently announced expansion of its local buyout offer of the Money Island hoes to now include the commercial docks but we do not have any confirmation from any dock owners yet. We own several of the commercial docks in the target area and haven’t received any notice yet.
recreational boat docks at Money Island Marina
There were only two comments from Money Island residents in the AC Press article. Jeanie is
, well, our beloved unique neighbor and it’s fair to say her life view is different from most. She has been clear, just like her well-respected mother years ago, that she intends to remain here no matter what. Meghan, the other resident who offered comment, is always diplomatic and politically correct as is appropriate for her role as leader of the regional recovery effort. But what about the 60+ other property owners here, mostly hard-working local people, who have already lost homes collectively worth millions of dollars attributable to the rising water?
Just to repeat, we still have no word on the state’s intent for the marina or the docks. The news reported that the buyout offers have extended to Money Island’s commercial docks but we own several of them and we have no indication yet that the state is interested in acquiring the properties. In early 2012 (before Sandy) a formal offer was made to gift these properties to the state and then lease them back. This is the way Fortescue Marina and many other marinas around the state operate and all people at DEP the Tony spoke with agreed that it was a good plan.
But then the state apparently lost focus after Sandy and we haven’t heard anything since then on the status of the plan. The informal word is that the offer is still being considered but through channels outside of the Blue Acres program because Blue Acres is for acquiring open space
, not meant for sale/leasebacks. All informal indications are that state government wants the marina to remain in business; we just don’t know how that will be financially possible without a sale/leaseback.
For now we are just waiting and will postpone any new major capital expense projects until we have clarification from the state. As far as we know, planned improvements to the boat ramp, pump out station, seawall, shoreline restoration, etc. that are already in motion will continue to move forward (slowly as always) at Money Island. The marina will continue forward with planned dock improvements this season.
occasional flooding has been a long term issue at Money Island Marina
Our best guess, based on collected comments of residents and government officials, is that the marina and commercial harvesting businesses will remain at Money Island for perhaps a decade or two, but that most of the other remaining Money Island residents, about 15, will be gone within the next five years. Tony reminds owners that historically about 8 out of 10 people who receive an offer from NJDEP Blue Acres do eventually accept the buyout. It’s not that they want to sell but rather that they run out of other options.
Does aquaculture hold the key for the future of Money Island? Tony thinks so and has gradually been re-purposing the marina and surrounding properties as a support facility for shellfish harvesting and other aquaculture support. It will be years or even decades until we know for sure what direction the Delaware Bay will take in terms of food production in terms of preferred species or sustainable levels of production.
Wall Street and Money Island NJ; two opposite corners of the earth.
This week marks 29 years since I left a Wall Street firm to work on my own in the small business world. I posted a reflective piece on the mostly hard lessons learned. I still don’t care to talk much about those days but I suppose that I should.
There is renewed hub-bub this week about the status of state buyouts of homes at Money Island. This post is not meant as a complete rehash of the topic but rather just a short bullet point summary of what’s going on from out perspective. In the short term
I’ve talk with a lot of people inside and outside government about this issue over the past decade yet I have no official indication that the state is interested in acquiring more property in Downe other than residences. Yet that seems to be the implication of this week’s announcement by NJDEP.
I am advising property owners in other parts of Downe and Lawrence township but at this time I (personally or through BaySave Corporaion) do not have any financial interests in any of these properties. I do have the right of first refusal on some properties in both townships. None of those properties are involved in buyouts. These first refusal rights preceded and are unrelated to the current buyout process.
The state informally says that they are considering the 2012 offer to acquire the marina properties by gift and then leasing it back to the operators. This is a proposal I still support as being logical and sustainable.
BaySave’s 2015 report on progress toward sustainability was issued in draft form and is available to anyone by request. The report contains more information on the progress of properties owned by the marina. I may publish a copy online soon.
More property owners in Lawrence and Downe township have come to me for help and advice regarding possible buyouts.
The buyouts of some properties are moving forward.
Most property owners who are offered a buyout do accept the first offer.
Other than what is stated here and in other public spaces online I have no “inside information” on the process.
The state’s official forecast, confirmed by every other independent source, is that we will be inundated (i.e. underwater) by rising sea level within our lifetime.
Inundated areas like Money Island are presumed to be inappropriate for residential communities.
Inundated areas like Money Island can be appropriate for aquaculture and eco-tourism with government’s approval and support.
We are still looking for guidance from government on whether to stay and rebuild the businesses or sell to the open space initiative and move away.
The NJDEP and Cumberland County Department of Health has been enormously cooperative in helping us resolve these issues.
Downe Township has not offered any support or guidance in our business recovery and at times seems to be responding with obstacles. Many people presume this lack of support is due to the personal and legal history between me and the township. I am doing my best to bridge the communication gaps.
My best guess is that the aquaculture and harvesting businesses at Money Island will remain but the residences will disappear. Presumably, then, public access to the water would remain possible but the business model of a public access marina would need to change significantly in order to survive. Perhaps it would be like Bay Point? Or perhaps a Fortescue model would be more appropriate? We just don’t know yet.
There is no indication that any of this current discussion is related to last week’s storm. It is just coincidental that the storm triggered additional news and media coverage of the decade-old issue.
