Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

RED BANK: PLAN PANNED FOR LOOKS, PARKING

55-w-front-element-022217-500x375-4319816An architect’s depiction of the Element, as seen from the north side side of West Front Street. (Rendering by Rotwein + Blake. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot-topic_03-220x138-2130637A new round of hearings on the Element, a proposed 35-unit apartment building in downtown Red Bank, began Wednesday night with concerns raised about parking adequacy and aesthetics.

Mayor Pasquale Menna called the appearance of the structure “bulky and not very inviting,” while several residents challenged a traffic consultant’s claim that the project’s on-site parking was sufficient.

The planning board session for 55 West Front Street was the first since a controversial redevelopment plan for the property narrowly won approval in November, on Menna’s tiebreaker vote.

In its rollercoaster history, the now-vacant site, formerly occupied by a nursing home, won approval in 2007 for condos that were never built, and failed to win zoning board variances for a “substantially identical” version of the current proposal a year ago.

On the table now: a four-story, 43,000-square-foot structure that features a recreational deck for tenants, with parking at ground level beneath the deck and elsewhere on the property, which also has access on White Street.

Calling attention to architectural details such as a cupola and cornice work, architect Lance Blake said the building would “blend in well” with the Victorian-style Bluffs residential project across West Front Street as well as other nearby buildings.

But Menna demurred, calling the building “very austere.

“The brick makes it look extraordinarily bulky and cold, and I don’t think it joins with the buildings across the street,” he said.

Board member Barbara Boas agreed that it “lacks grace,” and said she’d prefer “something softer.”

Those comments drew a withering critique from Gary Carpenter, who owns a commercial building on North Bridge Avenue. Over objections that his comments were out of order during a period reserved for questions, Carpenter ran through a list of nearby buildings approved in recent years, including the Hovnanian Enterprises headquarters and a TD Bank branch, that also aren’t in the Victorian style.

Chad Warnken, the Element’s attorney, told the board that aesthetics were beyond the board’s purview, but said the project’s owners — Ralph Braha, Steven Zekaria and Joe Shabot — were willing to make changes in an effort “to be good neighbors.” Revised plans will be submitted before the hearing resumes on March 6, he said.

Other pushback concerned traffic consultant Justin Taylor’s testimony that the 54 parking spaces on the lot would be enough to serve the tenants, guests and delivery vehicles to the building. No variances for parking are needed, he noted. Here’s his report: 55 W Front Traffic Impact 120517

Four borough residents, including zoning board member Ray Mass, challenged Taylor on his testimony.

“There’s no way that there’s surplus to put all these trucks and UPS delivery vehicles that come every day,” said Bluffs resident Irene Stanley. Locust Avenue resident Ben Forest expressed concern that the project would make parking harder to find in the vicinity on Friday or Saturday night.

Taylor also testified that the project would feature a “channelizing island” at the mouth of its West Front Street driveway to allow right turns into and out of the site while barring left turns in or out. That feature is under review by the Monmouth County, he said, which has jurisdiction over the roadway.

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...