(RNS) — The mayor of Toms River, New Jersey, says he has a plan to revitalize the town’s riverfront and to create a new park for local families who live nearby. He’s found the perfect spot — three underused marinas and a large parcel of land with a great parking lot.
There’s just one problem. A local Episcopal church sits on the 11-acre property and has no interest in selling. Instead, church leaders want to build a shelter for the homeless on the property to expand their ministry in the community.
Mayor Daniel Rodrick, a Republican, said God would approve of his plan.
“There’s a real need for the local residents up in those neighborhoods to be able to walk somewhere and put their kids on a swing,” said Rodrick in a recent phone interview. “I just think it’s a very positive thing. And I believe Christ would agree.”
So far, however, only the Township Council has made a call, narrowly passing a first reading April 30 on a proposal to buy Christ Episcopal Church’s property or take it by eminent domain. A second vote is scheduled on May 28.
The Rev. Lisa A. Hoffman. (Courtesy photo)
Church leaders say the city’s proposal, which came as a surprise, is an attempt to prevent their planned shelter from being built.
“It’s just really shocking and surprising and very disappointing,” the Rev. Lisa A. Hoffman, Christ Church’s rector, told Episcopal News Service, an official denominational publication, after last week’s vote.
The dispute appears headed for a long court battle.
“Rest assured; our church campus is not for sale,” Hoffman told church members in a letter posted on the church website. Hoffman, who was out of town, was not available for an interview.
“Should this ordinance pass on the second reading, the church and the diocese are prepared for a long court fight to protect our congregation and property from this egregious land grab,” the letter said.
The church’s shelter has been a matter of public debate since it announced plans last fall to ask for zoning approval. A nonprofit called the Affordable Housing Alliance has oper …