A rendering of the proposal for the Red Bank train station redevelopment area. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The Red Bank Planning Board has scheduled the first public hearing on what could be the largest development the town has seen in more than a century: the train station redevelopment plan.
The meeting notice, along with the long-awaited 44-page draft redevelopment plan for the 13-acre parcel were uploaded to the bottom of the Borough Web Site earlier this week with little other discernible public notice.
A redbankgreen flow chart from last month explains the process for the train station project.
The draft redevelopment plan by Borough consultants BFJ Planning was issued on March 14, according to the date on the title page. Notice of the plan and the meeting were posted here on a section at the bottom of the borough’s newly redesigned website entitled “News Flash” dated March 17.
As of this writing on March 21, the meeting does not appear on the calendar on the home page of the borough website and there are no public meetings listed for March 26. The public hearing does not appear in the “Events and Meetings” section (see screen grab below). The listing for the Planning Board’s regularly scheduled March 26 meeting also has no accompanying agenda attached.
The Borough’s social media channels also make no mention of the report or meeting, with the Borough’s Facebook page posts for the past week including a post about a planned rain garden, a Pride in the Park celebration, traffic alerts, and a gardening workshop.
In response to questions about the announcement, Borough Manager Jim Gant replied:
“The redevelopment plan along with public notice including notice in the newspaper have been published. The website notice also advised of the public hearing date and included the redevelopment plan in our news and highlights portion of our website. We have recently made this portion of our website much more visible than it had previously been. This matter and its timeline has been discussed on the record and is now a course of action for the planning board before it goes to the Mayor and Council. Aside from these planned public meetings the Borough hosted 2 Community Engagement sessions at the Senior Center. Much of that feedback was considered in the drafting of this redevelopment plan. It is no surprise that as a Borough, we are at this point in the process, requiring Planning Board action.”
If approved by the Planning Board and the Borough Council, the long-awaited redevelopment plan will serve as the zoning for the parcels in the area around the station, which include a mix of properties owned by NJ Transit and the agency’s designated developer Denholtz.
The plan appears to closely reflect the concepts outlined by Denholtz in late 2024 (see story below) allowing buildings of five and six stories to accommodate two structures that would contain up to 400 apartments and two parking garages with up to 900 spaces.
The proposal also calls for the creation of a landscaped public plaza surrounding the historic train station building, which will be preserved.
The draft redevelopment plan divides the redevelopment area into three districts: District A, where a mix of residential, commercial, and parking are permitted on two parcels, labeled north and south; District B, which is the site of the borough’s public works yard on Chestnut Street where government facilities, public utilities, would be permitted; and District C, which includes facilities along Chestnut Street owned by the Count Basie Center for the Arts. Zoning in District C would adhere to the borough’s zoning rules for business-residential districts under the plan.
“Development shall establish a cohesive built environment that fits harmoniously with Red Bank’s existing context and the immediate area, in building scale and massing, architecture, and building materials,” the plan reads. “Individual buildings may vary in architectural styles and materials but should complement each other and the surrounding area.”
A screen grab from the draft redevelopment plan showing zoning requirements for the train station area.
It includes requirements on everything from bike racks to maintaining “the residential scale of West Street between Monmouth and Chestnut Streets..using building setbacks, landscaping, and screening of parking garages and similar infrastructure. ” The plan also calls for widening of sidewalks on Monmouth Street and other areas to make the area more pedestrian friendly.
The Planning Board is now charged with determining whether the plan is consistent with the 2023 Master Plan and forwarding it to the Mayor and Borough Council to consider adopting it as an ordinance.
The plan can be found here:
Here is the meeting information:
March 26, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building, First Floor, Council Chambers, 90 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, New Jersey.
From the Borough’s meeting notice: “Any person who is interested in the redevelopment area and plan may attend this public hearing and may ask questions or make statements. Formal action of the Planning Board in the form of a recommendation to the Governing Body may be taken.
A copy of the Redevelopment Plan and the associated maps is available for public review online on the Borough of Red Bank’s website, Borough News & Highlights: https://www.redbanknj.org/ or in the Planning and Zoning Office, 90 Monmouth Street, 3rd Floor, Red Bank, NJ, by calling and scheduling an appointment with the Director of Community Development, Shawna Ebanks at 732-858-8352.
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.
