Planning Board Recommends Rezoning of Property for New Power Plant

The Planning Board has unanimously voted on a recommendation for the township committee to rezone the property behind Oyster Creek Generating Station for the potential construction of a new plant.

With the closure of Oyster Creek set for 2019, rezoning the property owned by Jersey Central Power & Light is a priority to updating the township Master Plan, a guiding document on land use and development.

“It’s another step to get all these things in order for a more marketable project,” Committeeman Gary Quinn said of the recommendation. “It’s just another piece of the puzzle.”

In May, the Township Committee awarded a contract to Birdsall Engineering to do a to be built in Lacey upon Oyster Creek’s closure.

Birdsall will be performing a feasibility study for $22,500. The study will provide an assessment of existing conditions, development constraints and permitting requirements at 798 South Main St.

The current Master Plan does not encompass that property, Committeeman David Most previously said.

The township is seeking to  on that property once  but currently, it is not zoned for that purpose, Quinn said.

Once the property is zoned properly, the township can begin the permit process with the Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies, Most had said.

The more steps that are completed, such as properly zoning the property, the more likely the township could gain support from primary stakeholders, Quinn said.

A new generation facility is just a conceptual plan right now, Most said in May.

“We have to get all the different parties, the stakeholders, involved to make sure we have no big obstacles to overcome,” he said. “I’m sure we’re going to have some obstacles but we’re trying to present a power plant when Oyster Creek closes in 2019.”

The closing of Oyster Creek will create a “serious gap” as far as base load generation and economically, he said.

“That’s why we’re investing in this for the future because this will mean a lot to Lacey Township,” Most said.

The committee will vote on the recommendation during one of its upcoming caucus meetings.