By BRIAN DONOHUE
With a mix of praise, suggestions and gripes, three dozen people provided a collective vibe check on the idea of turning a parking lot alongside the Navesink River into a complex with 40 condos and a riverfront walkway at a public meeting Monday night.
BFJ Planning Principal Susan Favate gives the lowdown on the 40-condo proposal. (Photo by Brian Donohue)
Marjorie Cavalier, president of the Red Bank Historic Preservation Commission, said the idea of 40 condos on the site was too dense. She got an amen on that from John Street resident Craig Dolan, who also raised questions about possible tax breaks for the project.
Mayor Billy Portman said the project presents a great chance to build a section of long-planned public riverfront walkway envisioned in the 2023 Master Plan.
Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano pointed out that unlike many other towns, Red Bank will require the developer to build affordable housing units right in the complex and not off-site.
And Steve Remelay, longtime owner of the Red Bank Marina right next door to the project, said he’s ready to accept what he called inevitable change – as long as the new neighbors buying pricey new condos don’t object to the realities of living next to a place where people show up at dawn to rent boats to go crabbing.
“As long as the neighbors don’t complain about the marina,” Remaley told a reporter after the meeting. “I was there first.”
RED BANK: GALLERIA OWNER SEEKS OK FOR 40 APARTMENTS ON RIVERFRONT
The meeting was a public information session required as part of the process of developing a rehabilitation plan for the 1.27 acre plot with expansive views of the river. You can download a pdf of the slides from the presentation here.
Susan Favate, principal in the Borough Planning firm BFJ Planning, described the development process as being in its very early stages.
“We want genuine feedback from the community,” Favate said.
Once a rehabilitation plan is written, establishing parameters like height and density limits, both the Borough Planning Board and Borough Council must approve it. Then, developers will submit a site plan with specifics on what will be built for approval to the planning board. That process is expected to stretch into the second half of 2026, Favate said.
Unlike a more involved designation of “area in need of redevelopment,” the “area in need of rehabilitation” tag approved by the Borough Council would not permit the issuance of a long-term tax abatement for the property. Any tax break would be on improvements only and limited to five years under New Jersey land use law, officials said.
The developer, Gated Investments of Colts Neck, is currently under contract to buy the property from a corporation controlled by members of the Sourliss family, longtime owners of the Galleria, the complex in former factories across the street.
The three dozen people in attendance were a mix of neighbors, concerned citizens, developers and realtors involved in the project, elected officials and members of various borough land use boards.
“We don’t want it to feel like you are trespassing on this space,” she said.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.
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