Above is architect David Carnivale’s rendering of the six-unit condo building on Harding Road that would replace the previously planned market. Below, architect Cathy Zuckerman’s rendering of the condos proposed for Clay Street and Hudson Avenue. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Builder Ray Rapcavage has dropped his plan for a greenmarket as part of of a proposal to redevelop a block on the edge of downtown Red Bank, redbankgreen has learned.

In yet another in a series of revisions, plans filed with the borough show that instead of a 4,300-square-foot organic fruit and vegetable market fronting on Harding Road, Rapcavage now plans to erect six condos.

The change would give Rapcavage, owner of RayRap Realty, 22 condo and townhouse units on adjoining lots on Harding, Clay Street and Hudson Avenue – the same number as in the last version of his plan, but now with eight units each on Clay and Hudson instead of eight and 10, respectively.

The elimination of the store, which the Rumson resident had previously said would be owned and operated by his family, was driven largely by the need to obtain a parking variance for the market, Rapcavage told redbankgreen. The borough requirement for two parking spaces per unit is now “fully satisfied,” he said.

Still, he’ll need variances for the condos and townhouses themselves, because the property is located in a zone where no multifamily housing is permitted. A hearing before the borough zoning board has been scheduled for August 20.

Rapcavage said he was “ambivalent” about the store, and more concerned about building “a beautiful corner.”

And what about area residents who were looking forward to having a fruit and vegetable market in their neighborhood? “I think the majority would just like to see the property improved,” he said.

The new design for the Harding Road structure is nearly identical to that for the market, though it now features six front doors and is not quite as tall, Rapcavage said. “We took it down a few feet,” he said, and added more greenery out front.

The project also has a new name. Previously dubbed ‘Renaissance Village,’ it’s now called ‘Le Belle Vue Village,’ Rapcavage said, “because I want a beautiful view on that property.”

The earliest version of the plan called for RayRap plan called for a grocery store topped by a large space, possibly for a yoga studio. That was later revised to include two apartments above the store instead of a yoga studio,

The project would replace five single- and two-family homes RayRap owns on Harding and Hudson, including the shell of a house destroyed by fire in May, 2012.

ICYMI: Here’s a redbankgreen post that explains how RayRap assembled the properties and shows the demolition of the gas station in 2007.