Utz owner can keep building Shore mansion

A New Jersey court of appeals has ruled that a Pennsylvania potato chip magnate can keep building his 40-room Shore mansion, which has been targeted by environmentalists seeking to preserve one of the last remaining "high dune" areas along the East Coast.

An appeal of state Department of Environmental Protection permits for the project was filed too late by Save Avalon's Dune to be valid, according to a Wednesday ruling by three Appellate Division judges.

Besides court filings, the group mounted an aggressive campaign to stop construction, including pickets in front of the home in the 5300 block of Dune Drive, Avalon, and a boycott of Utz products. The owner is Michael Rice, president of Utz Quality Foods in Hanover, Pa.

- Jacqueline L. Urgo