New Homes in Barnegat continuing to be built.
Experts project Ocean County's population will grow at nearly triple the rate of the rest of the state through 2016.
A study by the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Division of Labor Market and Demographic Research found that the county's population increased from 208,470 in 1970 to an estimated 573,678 in 2009. This 175.2 percent increase in population far exceeded the state's growth rate of 21.5 percent during that same period.
The study also projected that Ocean County will continue to grow at a faster rate, at 11 percent, than the state's 4.6 percent in the decade between 2006 and 2016. And by then, the study said, it will be the fifth most populous county in the state.
If any substantial future growth does happen in southern Ocean County, much of it would likely happen in Barnegat Township.
Since 1970, the township's populations has jumped from 1,539 to 22,643 - an increase of 1,371 percent. And the township still has 2,500 to 3,000 housing units already approved that have yet to be built.
Even through the economic downturn, 120 to 150 homes a year have been built. Development is still very active in Barnegat and in all likelihood will continue.
There are restrictions on development in Barnegat, such as ordinances regulating building height - to prevent high rises - and state restrictions on where growth can occur. The township's state-regulated "growth zone" encompasses the Ocean Acres section of the township and some land west of the Garden State Parkway and recently opened parkway entrance/exit at Exit 67 has already started attracting new businesses, such as a CVS, Wawa and is expected to attract even more commercial businesses.
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