Broadwalk in 2024. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
Editor’s note: this story has been updated from the original version to include information that came in to redbankgreen after it was initially published.
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Louis Andrianos (second from left) sits among a group of business owners at the meeting of the Red Bank Mayor and Borough Council last week. (photo by Brian Donohue)
The petition drive is being conducted by Louis Andrianos, owner of Neapoli Italian Kitchen, located just off the pedestrian plaza at 10 Wallace Street. He says he started collecting signatures on July 17 and “I have not pushed very hard” to collect signatures.
As of Monday, it included 106 signatures, with Andrianos saying he will continue adding to the total.
Signatories include people who listed their place of business as Woodhouse Spa, Castello, Gold Tinker, Dor L’ Dor, Red Bank Drapery, Lucki Clover and Garmany. Restaurants like Char Steakhouse, Via Sposito, The Globe Hotel, Good Karma Cafe, The Dublin House, Bistro at Red Bank, Ceviche House, Catezza and Patrizia’s are also represented.
A handful of businesses had multiple representatives sign, including Yestercades, Giselle Boutique, Poor Cat Designs and Neapoli. In total, roughly 40 businesses are represented, along with a mix of Red Bank residents and business patrons from as far away as Pittsburgh.
The petition comes to light less than a week after Andrianos and a handful of other business owners attended the meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council to call for an end to the seasonal pedestrian plaza known as “Broadwalk.” Andrianos said he submitted it this week to Red Bank Rivercenter, the nonprofit that manages the downtown business improvement district.
RED BANK: EATERY OWNERS ROAST BROADWALK
Andrianos and others told the council the closure siphons business away from eateries on streets adjacent to the plaza and has led to a dramatic drop in receipts this year.
Members of the Borough Council, which voted unanimously last year to make Broadwalk a permanent annual event, say they have no plans to end it, citing statistics showing it is attracting more visitors to town and is transforming Red Bank into a destination during the traditionally slow summer months when patrons flock to towns with boardwalks and beaches.
At Thursday’s meeting, Councilman Ben Forest delivered the most concilatory remarks of any member of the governing body, saying “I can’t help but be affected by what I heard here tonight.”
“I’m moved by your passion and emotion,” he told Andrianos and the others after they addressed the counci. “Running a business is brutal and coming here is not easy. It’s hard to hear because I happen to like the Broadwalk.”
In an interview with redbankgreen this week, Mairin Bennet, Executive Director of Red Bank RiverCenter, the downtown special improvement district which manages Broadwalk, said she believes other economic trends are putting the squeeze on local businesses.
“Unfortunately, people are holding on to their wallets more closely,” she said.
But she said both RiverCenter and the governing body are willing to work with businesses to make changes to Broadwalk that will alleviate concerns.
“Small businesses are the backbone, and I’m always looking for ideas to collaborate and see how else we can help,” she said. “Broadwalk is not the same – the way you approach it every year, it has to be different.”
At least one business represented on the petition to end Broadwalk seemed to counter the narrative put forth by Mayor and Council.
Responding to Andrianos’ comments at last week’s council meeting, Mayor Billy Portman recounted a conversation with someone from the restaurant 26 West, who told him the eatery was having its “best year ever.”
Nonetheless, Andrianos’s petition contains the name Dominick Rizzo, the chef at 26 West.
Mikaela Lucia, partner in 26 West, told redbankgreen the eatery’s record success was largely the result of its bustling catering business. Ownership wants Broad Street reopened to vehicles because she said Broadwalk worsens tie-ups on Front Street, where the restaurant is located.
“We are having our best year ever, but it has nothing to do with Broadwalk,” she said.
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.
