56 Newman Springs Road, the site proposed for a new electronic billboard. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Attorneys for the zoning board and Outfront settled on that location after the company sued the board for denying its application to replace its longstanding static billboard at the northern gateway to town with a bright electronic version.
An Outfront Media billboard near the train station that might have been removed as part of the company’s initial application to build a taller electronic billboard at the northern gateway to town.
The Zoning board can turn down the application to build the brightly lit sign at the new location, of course.
But if it does, the board will find itself back the crosshairs of the compay’s lawsuit.
Here’s a breakdown of the saga:
The company applied in 2023 to replace its longstanding billboard behind a vacant gas station at 187 Riverside Avenue with a larger digital display. (That location has since been approved for a new restaurant).
After almost 12 hours of hearings over 11 months, the Zoning Board of Adjustment rejected the application, which had met strong community opposition.
The property was seen by board members and residents as particularly ill-suited for a large sign because of its location at what the borough’s 2023 Master Plan describes as an already “unsightly gateway” to Red Bank.
The company sued the borough over the denial in March, 2025.
The two sides entered settlement discussions shortly afterward, court filings in the case show.
Red Bank’s Zoning Board of Adjustment passed a resolution approving the settlement at its February 5 meeting, according to a letter submitted the next day by Board Attorney Kevin Kennedy to Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Gregory Acquaviva.
The resolution describes the terms of the conditional settlement as such: Outfront Media will drop its lawsuit against the borough once it receives approval to build a new double-sided digital billboard at the Newman Springs Road location.
But if it is denied by the Zoning Board, the settlement will be voided and the lawsuit reinstated. As part of the application, Outfront has agreed to rebuild the existing store sign on the site, albeit with a smaller version, according to Thursday’s meeting agenda.
Lawyers for the two sides are expected back in court for a case management conference on September 8, according to an online court docket for the case.
Thursday’s meeting begins at 6:30 pm at Borough Hall, 90 Monmouth Street.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331.
