EHT Candidates Say Housing Boom Is Putting Township Services Under Strain

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Three candidates seeking seats on the Egg Harbor Township Committee say the township's continuing housing boom has reached a point where local government needs to take a harder look at whether roads, schools, emergency services and other infrastructure can keep pace.

Democratic candidates Anthony Calandrillo, Juanita Hyman and Tamika Gilbert-Floyd made overdevelopment a central theme of a joint appearance Thursday on Off The Press on WOND, hosted by Atlantic County Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman while regular host Scott Cronick was away.

Their comments come as another major housing project moves forward in Egg Harbor Township.

The Township Committee this week was considering a redevelopment agreement involving the Timber Ridge development, a project calling for approximately 225 housing units.

For the three Democratic candidates, the project is part of a much larger question facing one of Atlantic County's biggest municipalities: How much more housing can Egg Harbor Township absorb without corresponding increases in services and infrastructure?

“There's been considerable overdevelopment in Egg Harbor Township that seems to have no brakes to it,” Calandrillo said.

Candidates Question Pace of Development

Calandrillo, who previously served in elected office in North Jersey, said development was one of the primary reasons he decided to seek a seat on the Township Committee.

He is running in a special election resulting from the resignation of former Committeeman Will Pauls.

Calandrillo said he has attended Township Committee meetings seeking answers about the effect new development will have on the community.

He specifically questioned whether demographic and impact studies have been conducted and whether those studies have been provided to the Egg Harbor Township Board of Education.

“I've asked a number of times for it,” Calandrillo said. “Has there been demographics done? Has there been impact studies done? And I keep getting yes, yes, yes.”

Calandrillo said he was subsequently told the school board received the studies, but said board members told him otherwise.

“So I don't know what's going on,” he said. “We're digging into that and we're going to get to the bottom of it.”

South Jersey NewsBeat has not independently verified Calandrillo's characterization of those discussions.

225-Unit Development Adds to Debate

The issue is particularly timely because of Timber Ridge.

The redevelopment proposal would dramatically increase the number of homes envisioned for the property. Current reporting on the project describes a plan for 225 townhomes and apartments, replacing an earlier concept involving roughly 40 single-family homes.

The property has a longer history in Egg Harbor Township's development plans.

A 2022 township redevelopment ordinance contemplated 226 total residential units on the site — 218 market-rate units and eight affordable units — and required the use of Pinelands Development Credits tied to the market-rate portion of the development.

The Pinelands Preservation Alliance also raised concerns about the project's affordable-housing requirements in 2023 after Egg Harbor Township allowed the developer to reduce the number of units set aside for low- and moderate-income households.

During Thursday's WOND interview, the candidates pointed to the approximately 225-unit development as an example of the scale of residential construction they believe deserves greater scrutiny.

Hyman said she isn't opposed to providing additional housing.

“I'm not against development in Egg Harbor Township,” Hyman said. “I feel that there should be enough housing for everyone.”

But she said the pace matters.

“I think that it should be done in a more responsible manner,” Hyman said. “You need to slow it down because, you know, our infrastructure can't withstand this sudden burst of growth in our township.”

Why Egg Harbor Township Keeps Growing

There is an important piece of history behind Egg Harbor Township's development pattern.

Egg Harbor Township is one of the South Jersey communities containing areas designated by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission for regional growth.

That system is intended to steer development toward designated growth areas while protecting environmentally sensitive portions of the Pinelands.

Calandrillo acknowledged the Pinelands Commission's role but argued that local zoning decisions also matter.

“Pinelands has designated Egg Harbor Township with the largest growth zones in the state,” Calandrillo said.

But he said he believes township officials also need to examine decisions that convert land from commercial or other uses to residential development.

“Some of the problem is that zoning has changed in favor of the developers,” Calandrillo said. “So when we have commercial properties or properties zoned other than residential and then they become zoned residential, I don't see how that helps with controlling the overdevelopment problem in town.”

He said that is something the candidates intend to examine if elected.

Growth Is Visible Across EHT

There is no shortage of evidence that residential construction is occurring.

New homes are currently being marketed in several developments throughout Egg Harbor Township, including multiple communities associated with D.R. Horton. Current listings show newly built homes in developments including Ocean Club and numerous individual properties under construction or recently completed.

The township is simultaneously planning for additional affordable housing.

Egg Harbor Township's 2025 Housing Element and Fair Share Plan identifies existing and proposed projects that could contribute toward the municipality's state-mandated affordable-housing obligations.

The Democratic candidates aren't arguing that all of that construction should stop.

Instead, they say the growth needs to be measured against the township's ability to provide services.

Gilbert-Floyd: Can Services Keep Up?

Gilbert-Floyd, a lifelong Egg Harbor Township resident who has served on the Board of Education, said residents' concerns are often remarkably basic.

They want their trash collected. They want roads cleared after snowstorms. And when someone calls police, firefighters or an ambulance, they expect help to arrive quickly.

She argues those expectations become harder to meet if the population and number of homes continue increasing without corresponding increases in resources.

“People just want to have, you know, a township that can handle the amount of people that are coming into our town,” Gilbert-Floyd said.

“We need to slow that,” she added. “They're really concerned about the overdevelopment.”

Gilbert-Floyd did not cite response-time or staffing data demonstrating that emergency services have deteriorated because of new development. Her comments reflected concerns she said the candidates are hearing from residents.

'It's the Sewer, It's the Electric, It's the Water'

Calandrillo said the issue extends beyond the most visible municipal services.

At National Night Out, he said, residents frequently told him they were happy living in Egg Harbor Township. But when he specifically asked about development, their attitudes changed.

“They see the traffic. They see the trash,” Calandrillo said.

He praised township employees, saying municipal workers are doing their best, but argued continued growth could eventually stretch existing services.

“And it's not just the services and it's not just the schools, which we can see immediately the impact,” Calandrillo said. “But it's the sewer, it's the electric, it's the water, it's all the infrastructure aspects of overdevelopment.”

Public Works Becomes Campaign Issue

Hyman, a 27-year Egg Harbor Township resident who has served on the Board of Education for five years, said public works is another concern she's hearing about while campaigning.

She said some residents complain that tree limbs and other debris remain outside their homes for extended periods.

Like Calandrillo, Hyman emphasized that she doesn't blame township workers.

“We have a very good public works department, but they can't keep up with the demand because of all this development,” Hyman said.

“It's really hard to provide the same services you provided before with all these houses coming up,” she added.

The candidates did not provide municipal staffing or collection data establishing that residential development is responsible for reported delays.

Development Emerging as Election Issue

The debate is also clearly political.

Calandrillo, Hyman and Gilbert-Floyd are Democrats seeking seats on a Township Committee that has long been controlled by Republicans.

Calandrillo said the candidates intend to examine zoning and planning decisions if voters put them in office.

Hyman said some residents she encounters believe speaking at Township Committee meetings makes little difference because they expect projects to be approved regardless of their objections.

“Why even say anything?” Hyman said, describing what she hears from residents.

The candidates' criticisms represent their campaign position and do not by themselves establish that current township officials have allowed irresponsible development or that new housing has caused a measurable deterioration in municipal services.

But the underlying development is real.

New homes continue to be built across Egg Harbor Township, the municipality has additional housing obligations to meet, and the Timber Ridge proposal could add approximately 225 more units.

That makes the broader question likely to remain an issue through Election Day:

As Egg Harbor Township continues to grow, are its roads, schools, utilities and municipal services growing with it?