At the time of the March 9, 2021 Toms River Council vote in favor of a settlement with the US Justice Department, then Councilman Daniel Rodrick voted against the agreement and saying the township should fight any lawsuit. Following the 6-1 vote by Toms River Council, under the leadership of Mayor Maurice Hill, no applications or approvals for Houses of Worship were placed on the Zoning Board of Adjustment Agendas, however since Mayor Rodrick assumed his position on January 1, 2024, two shuls of approximately 2 acres have been approved by unanimous votes and as per an Asbury Park Press article of October 1, 2024, “more than 30 shuls are located in private homes in northern Toms River.”
To be clear, the 2021 settlement rolled back the zoning code to:
- Houses of worship can be built on as little as 2-acre parcels in nine areas of town, including northern and western areas of Toms River;
- Houses of worship are again a permitted use in more rural areas of town;
- Smaller-sized houses of worship – of 2 to 2.5 acres – can be located on “minor collector” roads;
- Houses of worship become a permitted use in the township highway business zones; and
- Houses of worship are no permitted on local roadways in neighborhoods.
Mayor Daniel Rodrick took office on January 1, 2024 stating he will follow through on his campaign promises and hire “high powered” attorneys to fight development in Toms River since “the last eight years, the township has been rolling out the red carpet for developers, but when residents want to improve their property, they are tangled up in bureaucratic red tape. The special deals for politically connected developers ends today.” He has been sued more than he has sued, but yet the second shul has been approved in just 9 months of his administration, this one on Stevens Road with a 23,400 sq. ft. parking lot with 43-spaces, on 2.5 acres. The first shul approved on Whitesville Road and Jumping Brook Drive, used 2 lots to exceed the 2 acre minimum. Both have been operating for some time.
There is no question, everyone deserves the right to religious freedom, we as American’s have this protection (we have freedom speech too, but the Toms River Council is effecting that freedom at Council Meetings monthly). The Orthodox Jewish community does not drive on Shabbat and Holidays, so they need Houses of Worship within walking distance (some walk miles for their Rabbi), but Mayor Rodrick is taking a stance in Toms River against keeping the homeless out of warming centers in Toms River on below freezing nights, so where is he on shuls in residential zones now? As Councilman Rodrick, he voted against the DOJ Agreement and once again said “we should fight any lawsuit” but as Mayor Rodrick, when threatened with a lawsuit if a zoning approval is not issued, his Zoning Board folded. Mayor Rodrick only counts votes and money.