Saturday, February 16, 2013

How greed and politics nearly destroyed the coast | The Asbury Park Press NJ | app.com

What's the opposite of enlightened self interest?

" Just a few holdouts can kill a proposed beach and dune project and leave an entire town at risk. Eminent domain is an expensive option that towns generally cannot afford. Many beachfront homeowners are wealthy business people, doctors, lawyers and retirees who can afford to fight city hall for a very long time.
.…
In Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island, a court ordered the town of 340 to pay one beachfront homeowner $375,000. The reason: the out-of-town couple said the new 22-foot-high protective dune ruined their view of the ocean, thus decreasing the value of their $1.7 million property. This test case had some homeowners along the beach, many of whom own houses worth several million dollars, holding out in hopes of gaining a windfall for signing the necessary easements."

I grew up 20 minutes (and a world apart!) from Harvey Cedars. 


Typos courtesy of my iPhone

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