Irving Place, where a plan to create a new historic district was tabled last year. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The Borough of Red Bank is set to hire a consultant to perform a survey of historical buildings and prepare design guidelines as a step toward preserving them town-wide, according to an agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the Borough Council.
The Mayor and Borough Council are slated to vote on a contract for a maximum of $60,000 to hire Architectural Heritage Consultants of Hoboken to create design guidelines called for in the 2023 Master Plan.
The company’s website describes it as a firm that “develop(s) tailored design guidelines that preserve your community’s architectural heritage while supporting thoughtful, contemporary development.” The company has performed similar work in Cape May, Glen Ridge and Hoboken. Here’s a link to the standards they developed for Cape May.
At the last council meeting, Council Member Kristina Bonatakis, the council liaison to the Borough’s Historic Preservation Committee said the contract will be funded in part by a heritage grant from the state of New Jersey.
Last September, the Red Bank Historic Preservation Commission tabled a measure in the face of widespread pushback from residents, that would have created a new Irving Place historic district.
Plans to create the district had been outlined in a July report cataloging 17 of the 22 homes on Irving, Maple Ave and Broad Street as having historic value that warrants making them subject to special protections and building rules to preserve their character.
When the committee tabled the measure, HPC Attorney Michelle Donato and committee members said instead of creating a separate district, the review of homes on Irving would be included in a wider town-wide study called for in the master plan.
Thursday’s meeting begins at 6:30 pm at Borough Hall, 90 Monmouth Street. The public can also attend virtually via Zoom via this link. A full agenda can be found here.
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.
