South Seaside Park Can Split From Berkeley: What Comes Next?

BERKELEY, NJ — The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the tiny neighborhood of South Seaside Park is allowed to leave Berkeley Township and request to join the borough of Seaside Park, a process known as deannexation. The decision comes after an 11-year legal battle, though the desire to split goes back decades. Now, residents of South Seaside Park, Berkeley and Seaside Park alike are wondering: so, what's next?

It's not a simple process. The state's municipal annexation statute is not something that has been put into use very frequently, so this is relatively uncharted territory for all parties involved.

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Seaside Park must still consent to South Seaside Park joining them, and borough officials are weighing their options.

"I don't know how long it's going to take," Berkeley Mayor John Bacchione said at a recent township council meeting, noting that the decision was now out of the township's hands. A similar deannexation petition was brought forth back in 1978; it was approved but Seaside Park decided to not allow the neighborhood to join. That decision took almost two years, Bacchione said.

Accordingly, the latest decision could be made "anywhere from tomorrow to two years," Bacchione said.

Berkeley also has assets in South Seaside Park that would need to be addressed if they do annex to Seaside Park, Bacchione said.

But Bacchione praised Seaside Park's governing body and said he was certain that "all will make a wise decision."

Seaside Park as well addressed the concerns at their recent borough council meeting.

South Seaside Park has filed a petition to Seaside Park to annex; this is under review by the mayor and council. Officials said that there will be a referral that will go to the planning board, which will then do an investigation. Ultimately, it will come back to the mayor and council, and the decision can only be done by ordinance. So, there will be public hearings and discussions before the final vote.

Officials in both Berkeley and Seaside Park stressed that the public will be involved and will be kept informed.

"We'll be open about what we do know and what we do find out about the deannexation," Bacchione told residents. "Whatever we find out, we'll let you guys know. We're all in it together."