Township Nears Rezoning of Area for New Power Plant

The Township Committee did a first reading of an ordinance that would  to include land behind Oyster Creek Generating Station for the possible construction of a new power plant.

The rezoning of the property owned by Jersey Central Power & Light was a priority in the process of updating the township Master Plan, a guiding document on land use and development that hasn’t been modified in 15 years.

The rezoning from a M-6 zone to the M-100 zone is one of the first steps in moving toward a new facility after Oyster Creek closes in 2019.

The township currently awaits the final results of a $22,500 feasibility study performed by  for a new power generation facility to be built upon Oyster Creek’s closure. The study provides an assessment of existing conditions, development constraints and permitting requirements at 798 South Main St.

The current Master Plan did not encompass that property. The township is seeking to  on that property once  but it was not zoned for that purpose.

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

A second reading of the ordinance will be done on Thursday, Aug. 9.