Press Release
Smith Announces: No Unaffiliated Civilians to be Housed on NWS EarleThanks Navy for Listening and Responding to Local Taxpayer Concerns
After nearly a year of negotiations with high-ranking officials of the United States Navy, Rep. Chris Smith today announced that the Pentagon has officially cancelled plans to open housing on NWS Earle
After nearly a year of negotiations with high-ranking officials of the United States Navy, Rep. Chris Smith today announced that the Pentagon has officially cancelled plans to open housing on NWS Earle, thereby alleviating legitimate local concerns about security, and the proper vetting of nonmilitary renters who would be exempt from paying property taxes. “I want to thank the Navy for the commitment they made nearly a year ago at a meeting in my office to hear our concerns and to conduct their own due diligence in pursuing the issues we raised about security, safety and other impacts their plan could have had on our communities,” said Smith who represents Colts Neck, Tinton Falls and other communities surrounding the base. “They remained true to their word, and as good neighbors they are taking their own actions to address their excess housing capacity without burdening the community and local taxpayer.” Smith credited former and current Navy officials for their professional approach to community objections to the plan. He said in December of 2016, then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Dennis McGinn instituted a 60-day suspension of the housing plan after a meeting in Smith’s Capitol Hill office with Navy officials, Smith, Senator Jennifer Beck and Colts Neck Committeeman Russ Macnow. At that meeting, Smith also presented the concerns of Freeholder Lillian Burry and a detailed letter from Tinton Falls Board of Education President Peter Karavites and Vice President Bill Holobowski. Smith noted that the 60-day suspension was stretched to nearly a year in which regular discussions continued, the Navy studied the suitability and capacity requirements for housing on the base, and made internal adjustments to attract more military personnel to the units. Some of the changes made by the Navy include offering units to single sailors and offering financial incentives for military families to live on the base. “After many months of a detailed review process that included base visits, study and meetings, Steven Iselin, the Acting Assistant Secretary for installations, advised that he and his boss, the new Secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer, remain mindful of the concerns of the community and have initiated discussions with the housing partner to begin the process of reducing the inventory,” Smith said. Smith has a long record of fighting for enhanced security and safety at the base. Post 9/11, Smith successfully advocated for increased security and in 2008 NWS Earle was awarded $8.16 million to fortify the installation’s main gate—the construction was completed in August 2012. In 2010, Smith helped lead the fight when the Navy sought to open a different housing community on the base, the Laurelwood Housing Units, to unscreened and unaffiliated civilians. As a result of his advocacy, the Navy eventually abandoned that plan, as well. In the 2010 battle, Smith said, “Opening the largest munitions depot on the East Coast to the general public and giving unfettered access to the housing inside the base perimeter would create enormous and costly security challenges and other costs, not just to the Navy but the larger community.” Today—seven years later—that same statement stands true. |