AVALON - Members of Save Avalon's Dunes (SAD) have gone from handing out flyers to asking a court to stop Michael and Jane Rice from building any further at 5199 Dune Drive.
In an action filed Monday against the Rices, the borough and the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the grassroots organization that has been speaking out against dune development for months, wants the court to set aside a Stipulation of Settlement between DEP and Michael Rice.
That agreement, executed April 16, 2001, gave Rice five years to begin construction on a three-story home with a garage beneath and a swimming pool.
Clearing for construction began in March, which prompted the first stirrings of protest by SAD.
On Sept. 21 the borough denied a request by Avalon Pools Inc. to construct the pool on the property, with Mayor Martin Pagliughi stating that no permit would be issued until the DEP answered whether Avalon would be in violation of a 1994 State Aid Agreement if the pool were built.
See full story in Real Estate Update.