Monroe Twp. Bald Eagle Nest May Block Developer, Mayor Says

MANALAPAN, NJ — The mayor of Monroe Township has a unique reason why a developer can't build 206 new units of housing and retail along the Millstone River: Bald eagles.

Monroe Mayor Gerald Tamburro said the area is home to a bald eagle’s nest perched near the Millstone River.

The developer is SPII-LLC. They want to build on a 48-acre parcel, which sits on Rt. 33 between Applegarth Road and the East Windsor border. The proposed site, at 1099 Rt. 33 west, is now mostly a farm.

It was the developer itself that first informed the Township in 2018 that a bald eagle nests on the property. Under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, it is unlawful to harm eagles, their nests, or eggs.

Since the discovery of the nest, SPII-LLC reconfigured the development plan, increasing the project density to the frontage of the highway to maintain the same number of housing units in the updated proposal. This was to move homes further away from the nest.

But Tamburro is still not happy.

“I’ve not been pleased with this proposal since its inception; it is yet another way in which developers use state affordable housing mandates to force more development into towns,” said Tamburro, noting the proposal would include 42 court-mandated affordable units. “And now, the developer is still trying to squeeze as much development as possible onto this site, even with a bald eagle nesting ground. To me, this is absolutely unacceptable.”

To comply with the 660-foot buffer, the developer now has less land on which to build. In response, the original plans, which called for mostly townhouses, has been replaced with four-story apartment buildings — with the amount of commercial space being slashed to make room for the concentrated housing.

“The developer could have easily reduced the number of housing units to lower the density and create an appropriate buffer to protect the bald eagle,” the mayor said. “But, instead, the plan calls for building rental apartments, some of which will be on top of reduced retail space right on Rt. 33. It will be unsightly, unnecessary and not in the best interest for Monroe.”

Monroe residents are encouraged to attend the Zoning Board meeting at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, March 26 at the Monroe Twp. municipal building.

“As the zoning board votes, eaglets are beginning to hatch on the Millstone River,” Tamburro said. “Our community needs to stand up in full force against the SPII-LLC housing project. I am proud to lead the charge.”