MANCHESTER, NJ – A Brooklyn-based property owner is suing Manchester Township and its Planning Board after the township abruptly ordered work to stop on two homes it had previously approved for renovation, sparking a legal battle over what the owner calls a bureaucratic “flip-flop.”
The lawsuit, filed November 7, 2025, in Ocean County Superior Court by Ocean Holdings 20, LLC, alleges that township officials wrongfully issued a stop work order in early 2023, months after approving building permits for repairs at 3444–3454 Ridgeway Road.
The company claims it had already spent substantial money refurbishing the homes when the township reversed course, insisting the dwellings should have been demolished under a 2008 subdivision approval.
According to the verified complaint filed by attorney Donna M. Jennings of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, the township’s new interpretation of the 2008 subdivision was “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable,” since the official resolution granting that subdivision never required demolition. The homes, built around 1980, had remained occupied until 2022 and were actively taxed by the township, the filing says.
The property, located on 1.49 acres along Ridgeway Road, was purchased by Ocean Holdings 20 at a 2019 sheriff’s sale. After evicting tenants in 2022, the company began extensive renovations—including new septic systems, HVAC, electrical, and interior work—under a valid construction permit issued by Manchester Township that December.
In February 2023, however, the township’s zoning officer issued a stop work order, citing a note on the 2008 subdivision map indicating that “all existing structures… are to be removed prior to issuance of the first certificate of occupancy.” Ocean Holdings argues this note was never part of any binding resolution, nor was it ever enforced in the 17 years since the subdivision was approved.
The complaint further states that the township’s actions forced the developer to pursue multiple rounds of costly applications—including a zoning appeal, a new subdivision before the Planning Board, and reviews by the Pinelands Commission—all of which have stalled due to conflicting interpretations of the property’s septic system requirements.
The company claims it has paid nearly $39,000 in property taxes since 2020 based on an assessment that includes both dwellings, even though Manchester refuses to issue certificates of occupancy allowing the homes to be used or sold. Ocean Holdings says this amounts to unjust enrichment by the township.
In addition to compensatory and punitive damages, the lawsuit seeks a court order declaring that the 2008 subdivision never required demolition, compelling Manchester Township to lift the stop work order, complete inspections, and issue certificates of occupancy for both homes.
