Earlier this spring, students and staff were surprised to see trees getting cut down while driving in and out of school. 

The land was cleared for an apartment complex called Presidential Gardens in Manchester. It will have 519 units in 26 buildings, with 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartments available. The complex which is being built by Pizzo and Pizzo Construction, will also feature a pool, a clubhouse, and 1,038 parking spaces. Unlike many other developments in Manchester. This new apartment complex will not be age-restricted.

The project was first presented to the Manchester Township Planning Board in 2012. It was represented by Attorney Harvey York and was at the time a conforming use application. Variances were only needed on the placement of directional signs that do not comply with setback requirements. 

This project has been battling environmental issues and other delays ever since. The Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) Individual Permit (Authorization) from NJDEP, among other delays, turned into a decade of haggling, including many denials and approvals.

In March, contractors started cutting down trees on Route 37 and Colonial Drive without proper permit approval from the township, according to an article in Jersey Shore Times. Mayor Robert Arace put an immediate stop work order on the construction. The mayor said the initial site approval was at a planning board meeting in 2012 and the project was granted a site approval extension by the planning board in 2022, 10 years after its original approval. Work was stopped until the contractor received the proper permits.

There are many ways the complex will affect the school. One is the traffic. At dismissal, buses and students already have to deal with a lot of traffic when leaving, especially when it backs up onto Hawks Way. Traffic from the complex may make that even worse. If residents are on Hawks Way trying to turn left into the complex, traffic could back up on the way into the school. Increased traffic could mean more accidents and block emergency vehicles from reaching the scene or the school.

Another way the complex may affect the school is that kids may live in the apartments and go to school, which increases the number of students in school.

A final concern about the complex is invading animals’ habitats and what happened to those animals.

The projected date for this project to be done has yet to be released, but when it is completed, the students and staff of Manchester Township High School will just have to deal with the outcome.