The vacant Bridge Avenue Gas Station photographed last year. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The owner of Birravino restaurant is buying the vacant gas station property next door to the eatery, he says, promising “cleanup and development” of a property that has long been an eyesore at the town’s busy northern gateway.
Restauranteur and TV host Victor Rallo, who also owns Undici Taverna Rustica in Rumson, announced in a press release he has entered into a contract to buy the former Bridge Avenue Gas property at 187 Riverside Avenue, where Riverside meets Bridge Avenue.
Victor Rallo speaking before the Zoning Board of Adjustment last year about the vacant gas station next to his restaurant (photo by Brian Donohue)
“It has been my dream to transform this entrance to Red Bank, which sees over 1,000 cars per hour, into a beautiful welcoming spot — a true “hello” to all visitors of this great town,” Rallo said in the statement Thursday morning.
“After 25 years of negotiations, and with the invaluable support of former Mayor and friend Ed McKenna, we are thrilled to announce that we have entered into a contract to purchase the corner parcel which is Bridge Avenue Gas Station.” (McKenna is an attorney who frequently represents property owners.)
But wait, there’s more.
Rallo said he has also successfully negotiated an end to the lease held by Outfront Media for a billboard on the property that was the subject of a recent Zoning Board saga (see story below). The billboard lease will terminate in four years, he said.
The 2023 Borough Master Plan called the area around the foot of Cooper’s Bridge “an unsightly entryway into Red Bank.” Echoing others, Rallo has called it “a disgrace.”
Besides Bridge Avenue Gas, the area has a second vacant gas station property at Riverside and Rector Place. Owners of a proposed cannabis retail shop received planning board approval for the location and are suing the borough for a license after being shut out by a limit on the number of licenses allowed by borough ordinance.
Those conditions factored into the Zoning Board’s decision in November to deny Outfront Media’s application to replace the 60-year-old static billboard on the site with an electronic digital one. 
Birravino and the vacant gas station in the background. (photo by Brian Donohue)
During a series of hearings on the application, Rallo testified he had been under contract to purchase the gas station property but dropped the plan after realizing the terms of Outfront’s long-term lease would have prevented him from building anything that blocks the view of the billboard.
The property is currently assessed at $1.4 million, according to Monmouth County property records. Owner James Gambacorto could not immediately be reached for comment.
Rallo, who has operated Birravino (formerly Basil T’s) since 1988, had no word on what he plans to do with the property, besides this: a new “Welcome to Red Bank” sign.
“Stay tuned as we begin the cleanup and development of the “Gateway to Red Bank,” he said in the press release. “Thank you for 37 wonderful years!”
Have a news tip or story idea? redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331. 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.
