The Atlantic Club, photographed earlier this summer, is now under contract to be sold to a home builder. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The vacant former union hall at 30 Wikoff Place was last used by the Atlantic Club as additional space to conform with COVID-19 pandemic social distancing requirements. (photo by Brian Donohue)
The new project would stretch the length of the north side of Wikoff Place between Maple Avenue and Broad Street near the town’s southern entrance just north of Super Foodtown. (See enlargeable tax map below.)
The 14 properties include the 3.4 acre Atlantic Club property and adjacent parking lots; the distinctive home referred to as “the mushroom house” at the corner of Broad and Wikoff; and one property north of that address on Broad Street, Mumford said.
The bulk of the properties mentioned by Mumford are owned by Twin Lights Holdings LLC, a company managed by Joseph Azzolina Jr., whose family has operated the Super Foodtown on the other side of Wikoff Place for decades.
The 100-year-old “mushroom house” at the corner of Broad Street and Wikoff would be levelled under the plan to build townhomes on the site. (photo by Brian Donohue)
Although no contract of sale or other documents appear in the database of county clerk property records, Mumford said he is currently under contract to buy all 14 properties.
He plans to seek approvals to clear the area and build for-sale units, which he said are badly needed amid a townwide development boom that has created mostly new rental units.
The project would likely not conform to zoning for the area and could require variances from the Red Bank Zoning Board of Adjustment, he noted. Mumford said there was still no definite number of units in the final plan.
“The vision here, because we think the location is excellent, is to create a for-sale community in Red Bank,” he said. “Recently, very large, substantial rental properties have been approved. And there’s very little in terms of quality housing that’s reasonably priced for people to enjoy Red Bank as owners.”
Mumford touted the project as one that would create less traffic and tax public utilities less than the existing Atlantic Club.
“The whole idea is it’s really going to be a beautiful place, beautiful between the landscaping and everything I have envisioned to live, and it will be affordable not just for people with (eligibility for) affordable housing,” Mumford said. “It will be affordable, more so for young professionals, working people, people moving down who want to enjoy Red Bank.”
He declined to give a price range for how much each unit would cost, but said they would be priced below one million dollars.
News of Mumford’s purchase of the Atlantic Club property first came to light in a letter the upscale health club’s Chief Operating Officer, Kevin McHugh sent to members last week.
In the letter, McHugh said the Atlantic Club, which was purchased by the Kansas-based fitness giant Genesis Health Clubs, was beginning a search for a new location. The club’s lease with Mumford, the letter said, runs until the end of 2026.
“Over the past 3 months, our team has been working on several location possibilities that initially showed promise and opportunity, but unfortunately, did not move forward,” the letter reads. “We are currently actively pursuing three other location options.”
The Atlantic Club property, also owned by Twin Lights Holdings LLC, is assessed at $6.6 million, according to records filed with the Monmouth County Clerk’s office.
The imminent sale of the properties along Wikoff Place has at least one family of long-time residents suddenly searching for a new home.
Maricruz Carreon and her son, Christian in the doorway of the Wikoff Place home where they have lived for ten years. (photo by Brian Donohue)
Maricruz Carreon has lived with her husband and their two children in a 1,100-square-foot home owned by Azzolina on Wikoff Place for ten years. They have been given until November 2026 to move out, she said. With rents and real estate prices in Red Bank skyrocketing, she frets about where they’ll find anything affordable in town.
“We love it here,” she said. “We will try to find something cheaper, because they love the schools, and I don’t want them to go to another school because they know the kids and they have their friends here.”
As for their nascent search for a comparable place to live, she added, “It’s really hard.”
Mumford’s company, Roger Mumford Homes, built the Fortune Square apartments on Drs. James Parker Boulevard, where he also restored the National Historic Register-listed T. Thomas Fortune house. He also built the Azalea, a townhome complex nearing completion between Harding and Hudson Avenues and Clay Street.
Mumford’s projects have also included the Station Place apartments on Monmouth Street and adjoining Oakland Square apartments on Oakland Street, and the Brownstones townhouse project on Catherine Street.
Mumford said he hopes to submit plans for the new project to the borough by January.
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.
