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: STILL NO VOTE ON SALERNO PLAN

ed-mckenna-100622-500x375-5971918Salerno attorney and former mayor Ed McKenna challenged testimony by a planner for the owner of the nearby Station Place apartments. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot-topic_03-220x138-2130637A planner who testified against variances for 46 apartments in downtown Red Bank got a tongue-lashing from former mayor Ed McKenna Thursday night.

The planner’s attorney termed McKenna’s aggressive approach a “preposterous rant.”

red-bank-121-monmouth-street-021722-1-500x281-4349608An elevation showing the Monmouth Street side of Michael Salerno’s proposed mixed-used project, looking east, above, and a recent view of the site from a similar angle, below. (Rendering by SOME Architects; photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

red-bank-121-monmouth-050321-220x146-9843219The setting was the latest in series of zoning board hearings on a three-year-old plan by developer Michael Salerno.

The plan calls for a four-story building encompassing the sites of an existing office building 121 Monmouth Street, as well as the former Big Man’s West, a concert venue owned by late saxophonist Clarence Clemons, both of which would be demolished.

After three years of review and changes, Salerno’s plan still has not gone to a board vote. The hearing is expected to conclude November 3.

That’s when a traffic expert hired by the owner of the Station Place apartments, just west of the site on Monmouth Street, is expected to testify, said its attorney, Kevin Asadi.

At Thursday’s hearing, Station Place’s hired planning expert, Joe Burgis, said “there is no justification” for variances sought by Salerno for density, setback and other features.

Salerno’s plan calls for a density of 64 dwelling units per acre, in a zone that permits only 16, and has no setbacks from the street along Monmouth Street, Burgis said. An existing train station overlay zone that would permit higher density does not include the site, Burgis noted.

“The municipality chose to adopt an overlay that’s 400 feet to the west” of the site, he said.

McKenna, on cross-examination, went immediately to a map prepared by Burgis, and pressed him on the comparable density and setbacks for Station Place.

“See this building here? Who owns that?” McKenna asked Burgis. “It’s your client, right? So despite the testimony you just gave this board, your client has almost 50 units per acre.”

Burgis said he had not been hired to evaluate Station Place, and Asadi objected to the line of questioning as beyond the scope of the application.

“It goes to credibility,” McKenna told the board. “He’s testifying that this board should be enforcing 16 units per acre, when the person that’s writing his check has 50 units per acre.”

McKenna said the board had in recent years approved four projects in excess of 60 units per acre in the neighborhood, projects he called “built and highly successful.”

In light of that, he said Burgis “showed disrespect for this governing body, disrespect for this town, tremendous people that serve here.

“I live in this town. You don’t,” McKenna told Burgis.

Asadi again objected.

“I don’t know how this became a rant against my planner,” he told Chairman Ray Mass. “This is preposterous, and I want it to stop.”

Brought within the application, and to be used as a stand-alone three-bedroom unit, is a house at the corner of Oakland and Pearl streets, which boosted the prior plan for 45 units by one. The house would count toward Salerno’s obligation to provide three affordable housing units, McKenna said.

Carl DeAngelis, whose family owns the building just to the east of the site, home to Pearl Street Consignment shop, told the board he is “fully in favor of the application.” But he voiced concern about how demolition would impact a common wall between the properties.

McKenna said Salerno would insure DeAngelis against any potential damage, and pay for the engineer of his choosing to review the construction plans and oversee the work.

If you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen, please become a financial supporter for as little as $1 per month. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.

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 ...