To the Editor:
I was a 10-year resident of Cape May Beach, directly adjacent to Cox Hall Creek WMA (wildlife management area), formally known as Ponderlodge. Though I no longer reside there, I still own the home as a summer residence.
During those 10 years, I witnessed the transformation that occurred firsthand after the state and several environmental organizations rehabilitated the creek, marshes and golf course.
Who else remembers driving across the creek when it smelled like a sewer? How about the signs on the beach that warned you not to swim because of the excessive bacteria levels, or maybe the former golf course overrun with invasive species and the lodge that was broken into and littered with graffiti? I remember it vividly.
Today, when you stroll down to the creek you’re greeted with crabs, oysters, mussels, fish and the numerous species of birds that have a new food and habitat resource. The former golf course is no more. Instead, you’ll find yourself in a place a world away from the development that has taken so much of our county.
You won’t only find wildlife at Cox Hall Creek WMA. Thanks to the numerous trails, fish stocked lake and being a birders’ paradise, you will also find members of the community – school kids taking a dip in the lake, families on bike rides, birdwatchers and old-timers fishing.
The neighborhoods surrounding the conservation area like Cape May Beach, Town Bank and Bayside Village have also changed. Property values have increased and neighbors are renovating their homes.
What was once more of a sleepy area for summer rentals is now desired. Go down to the beach in the summer and you’ll find people swimming in the Delaware Bay.
In essence, Cox Hall Creek has benefited people, the environment and the economy. These are the three building blocks of sustainability.
My question is who will this housing development benefit – the developer/builder, the realtors, the bankers, etc.? It definitely won’t benefit the environment or have zero impact, as the developer asserts.
How will it benefit the community? No one has answered that.
As for the economy, it may do well for the builder’s dollar, but I doubt it will have any positive impact for the town or may even have a negative impact considering the environmental damage it entails.
As a community with a tremendous asset, why should we allow a developer to come in and damage that asset? I understand it’s private property touching the conservation area, but as we all know, just because you own property doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want with it.
That’s why we vote. That’s why we have elected officials that adopt zoning that fits in with the town’s people, the environment and the economy.
This parcel was zoned as a “Conservation Area” and should remain so. Cape May County has lost enough of our natural areas just so some developers could make a quick buck. Let’s show them enough is enough.
