26 West on the Navesink (Photos by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The owners of 26 West on the Navesink restaurant have ditched their plans to add a roof deck overlooking the Navesink River, repeating a reversal the eatery made when it opened seven years ago.
The view from the rear of 26 West on the Navesink (on right) Â with the new Southbank on the Navesink condos on the left.
The owners had applied earlier this year to the borough to add a roof deck and convert a basement storage area into a 30-seat speakeasy and two bathrooms. At Wednesday’s planning board meeting, they announced they were removing the roof deck from the plans and just seeking to convert the basement space into an area for special events and possible additional seating.
When they opened in 2017, owners of the 26 West Front Street eatery had originally sought a roof deck overlooking the Navesink River, but scrapped their plans in the face of concerns from neighbors about noise and impaired views. The building currently features a semi-enclosed area with wide windows on the top floor.
The restaurant sits directly across Boat Club Court from a newly completed Southbank at the Navesink condo building by Denholtz Properties. The web site for Southbank states that 90 percent of the units in the river-view building have been sold.
26 West Operations Manager Mikaela Lucia said management had not gotten any pushback on the roof deck idea this time, but  decided to simply focus on the new basement space, especially with the outdoor dining season winding down.
The Planning Board unanimously approved the application for the conversion of the basement space, which owners said would be used for private events, large party reservations and possible overflow seating from the main restaurant if needed. The application needed a variance for additional parking spaces that would be required for an expansion. The restaurant already had a parking variance because the property has no spaces on site.
Before 26 West on the Navesink, the building housed 10th Ave. Burrito Company and, before that, Fixx and Chubby’s Waterside Café.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at  [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
