Jersey Shore Families Forced to Vacate Historic Beach Cottages as State Moves Forward with Demolition
For 80 summers, Howard Height III has driven down the small sand road to the family’s beach cabin in Island Beach State Park. He and his family view the tiny cabin as a living repository of decades of summers, laughter, and memories. After years of uncertainty, New Jersey has ordered the remaining occupants to evacuate, and demolition plans are underway.
The decree ends a long dispute by families holding state park cottage lease rights. Environmental and safety concerns are reclaiming seasonal houses threatened by storms, rising seas, and changing policies. Families claim their cottages are a unique legacy worth saving, but state authorities say they pose hazards and interfere with conservation goals.
Many longtime residents were told to leave by spring 2025 in late 2024. Late extensions brought the deadline to October 31, 2025. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ordered families to leave the structures after that date. The agency will demolish all but one “fishing cottage,” keeping the last as a memento to the once-thriving hamlet.
The cottages predate the park. Dozens of beach homes lined the shoreline when the state bought it midcentury. Storms and changing regulations reduced them. The state eventually granted surviving owners leasing rights under severe conditions, promising to dismantle the structures when finances allowed.
After securing demolition funds, state officials said the outdated cottages in flood-prone zones without new infrastructure pose a considerable risk. The constructions use propane or generators for basic necessities without public utilities. In a strong storm, broken construction pieces could harm the ecosystem.
Cottage supporters say they are an irreplaceable cultural link to Jersey Shore heritage. One building, “Judge’s Cottage,” will be preserved to commemorate the many seasonal houses. For families like the Heights, that offer is insufficient. They risk eviction and the loss of their legacy after generations of summers in their refuge.
Some residents and lawmakers wanted additional relocation and planning time from the state. They claimed that hasty removal undermines community stability and disrespects emotional links to those homes. Though the state claims responsibility, many impacted families feel abandoned.
The Heights and other families are packing and leaving. They now prioritize memory and storytelling over home preservation. As the final houses fall, memories are the sole refuge against erasure.
Sources
NJ Advance Media reporting on Jersey Shore cottages
Historical accounts of Island Beach State Park cottage leases
