RED BANK: PROJECT REVIEW GETS UNDERWAY

An architect’s rendering showing the West Front Street side of the proposed project, with the existing office building at left. (Rendering by Feinberg & Associates. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj A plan to build 150 apartments atop an existing restaurant and parking deck in downtown Red Bank got its first taste of public scrutiny Thursday night.

While descriptions of the project by an engineer and an architect for developer PRC Group took up most of the three-hour zoning board hearing, it became clear that the plan’s scale, and impact on traffic, are likely to be issues.

January 17, 2020 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT ON DECK

A proposal to add 150 apartments to the Red Bank Corporate Plaza complex on West Front Street is scheduled to go before the borough zoning board Thursday night.

As previously reported by redbankgreen, the project would shatter the borough’s limits on building height, density and more if approved.

Here’s what you need to know about the application. (Rendering by Feinberg & Associates. Click to enlarge.)

January 15, 2020 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: STATION NOW IN HOUSING DEAL

The former Sunoco property on River Road could get 14 apartments under the plan. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj A vacant gas station envisioned as the site of a new Fair Haven borough hall just a year ago would instead get 14 apartments under an affordable housing settlement detailed by officials Monday night.

At a special council session held at Viola Sickles School to address the town’s legal obligation to accommodate low-and moderate-income earners, residents also heard about a plan for a two-family home to be built by Habitat for Humanity in a residential neighborhood.

January 14, 2020 - 4:30 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED

Under the plan, 150 apartments would be built above Pazzo MMX restaurant and the parking garage beside it. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj A proposed expansion atop an existing restaurant and parking deck would create a nine-story structure with 150 apartments in the center of Red Bank, redbankgreen has learned.

If approved, the project would shatter the borough’s limits on building height, density and more.

December 22, 2019 - 10:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SAXUM PLAN APPROVED

Saxum relocated the proposed pedestrian plaza shown in this rendering from the Riverside Avenue side of the project to the Bodman Place side. (Rendering by MVMK Architecture. Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

One of the largest development projects in Red Bank history won planning board approval Monday night.

The OK for 210 apartments at Riverside Avenue and Bodman Place requires developer Saxum Real Estate to seek state approval for a traffic light there. But the project can go ahead even if the request fails.

December 3, 2019 - 7:25 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: HOUSING LOTTERY SLATED

The Catherine Street side of the new Brownstones townhouse project. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Two new townhouse units on Red Bank’s West Side will be available for purchase at a fraction of their market value following a lottery next month.

November 26, 2019 - 8:20 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: SAXUM HEARING POSTPONED

The Red Bank planning board hearing, scheduled for Monday night, on a proposal for 210 apartments on Riverside Avenue has been rescheduled.

November 4, 2019 - 11:43 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: HOME REHAB GRANTS AVAILABLE

(Press release from the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp, Inc.)

The Red Bank Affordable Housing Corp, Inc. (RBAHC), has developed for the Borough of Red Bank a program for Housing Rehabilitation to uplift the quality of its housing stock and to improve the condition and appearance of its neighborhoods.

October 30, 2019 - 10:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: BOARD AIRS SAXUM PLAN HURDLES

A rendering depicts the proposed plaza at Riverside Avenue and Bodman Place that board members raised safety concerns about. (Rendering by Arterial Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank planning board members aired numerous misgivings about one of the largest development plans in borough history Monday night.

High on the list that developer Saxum Real Estate is expected to address: traffic and pedestrian safety issues. Read More »

October 8, 2019 - 8:10 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PLAZA FOCUS OF SAXUM HEARING

A rendering depicts the Bodman Place side of the proposed apartment project. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

The fate of one of the largest development plans in Red Bank history remained unresolved Monday night.

At the fourth planning board hearing on the 210-unit apartment complex proposed for the site of the former VNA headquarters, attention centered largely on the wisdom of putting a public plaza on busy Riverside Avenue.

September 17, 2019 - 8:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: POOP & MORE DELAY SAXUM VOTE

A rendering displayed at the planning board depicts a public plaza on the Riverside Avenue side of the proposed apartment project. (Rendering by Arterial. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Unanswered questions held up a planning board vote on one of the largest development plans in Red Bank history Wednesday night.

Among them: where will the poop deposited on the rooftop dog runs go?

September 4, 2019 - 11:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SAXUM CONFRONTS TRAFFIC ISSUE

A rendering shows the Riverside Avenue facade of the proposed apartment project. (Rendering by MVMK Architecture. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Like many motorists, a traffic engineer for one of the largest development plans in Red Bank history found himself confronting an intersection likened to “Russian roulette” Monday night. Read More »

August 6, 2019 - 8:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: SAXUM TRAFFIC Q&A DELAYED

A rendering shows one of the two buildings proposed for the former VNA site, with Riverside Avenue at left and Bodman Place at right. (Rendering by MVMK Architecture. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

It was a night of “hold that thought” as hearings got underway on one of the largest development plans in Red Bank history Monday night.

At a planning board session on a 210-unit apartment complex proposed for a busy stretch of Riverside Avenue, neighbors who packed the room were repeatedly advised to defer their questions and comments on traffic until the developer’s traffic consultant testifies.

July 16, 2019 - 9:26 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MASSIVE SAXUM PLAN FILED

A rendering of the Riverside Avenue side of the multiuse project proposed for the former Visiting Nurse Association headquarters site. (Plan by Dynamic Engineering. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

What could be the largest development project in Red Bank history would put 210 living units and more on a 2.7-acre parcel, redbankgreen has learned.

The project proposed by Saxum Real Estate would also include a 326-vehicle parking garage, co-working space and retail or restaurant space, according to a detailed plan filed last month.

May 16, 2019 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: COUNCIL RECAP

Piero Vescio swears the oath as a policeman as his father, Lieutenant Errico Vescio, watches with other family members. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Here are some highlights from last week’s Red Bank council meeting.

Read More »

May 15, 2019 - 5:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SIGNAGE MARKS COUNCIL AGENDA

The council plans to allow sandwich-board signs on downtown sidewalks through 2021. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The Red Bank council is expected to take up a number of housekeeping measures concerning signs, false alarms and more Wednesday night.

Here are the highlights.

May 7, 2019 - 3:30 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: HOUSING & MORE PACKS AGENDA

The former home of the Visiting Nurse Association is seen as the answer to a chunk of Red Bank’s affordable housing obligation. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A plan to resolve Red Bank’s so-called Mount Laurel affordable housing obligation is up for resolution Wednesday night.

Also up for votes: a series of small-bore zoning changes, help for motorists at a dicey corner and more. Here’s a look at the busy agenda.

April 23, 2019 - 8:25 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: HOUSING PLAN DRAWS FIRE

A new overlay zone centered on the western business district would encourage development of low- and moderate-income housing, officials said. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Fair Haven residents packed a hearing on zoning changes written to show “the right gestures” toward providing 370 new homes for low- and moderate-income earners Tuesday night.

But the planning board board’s determination to immediately vote on a complex proposal it had just unveiled irked many who sat through the three-hour session as much as the substance of the changes.

March 20, 2019 - 10:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: RIVERMARK PROJECT APPROVED

The proposed Rivermark building shown above was modified before approval. (Rendering by Michael Monroe. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank’s planning board gave swift approval Monday night to a proposed commercial and residential building at a key downtown corner after it was downsized.

July 17, 2018 - 12:30 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: GARAGE CONVERSION NIXED

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank homeowners who long to transform their garages into living space: take note. The borough zoning board summarily nixed a plan to convert a garage behind a Maple Avenue office building into a single-family home Thursday night.

November 3, 2017 - 10:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: WEST SIDE HOMES NEARLY READY

Several units at River’s Edge, like the one above at the western end of Bank Street, offer expansive views of the Swimming River. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A long wait is about to an end as builder Charlie Farkouh puts the finishing touches on the most ambitious housing development Red Bank’s West Side has seen in years.

Farkouh tells redbankgreen he’s nearing completion on the 15-unit River’s Edge project, replacing several derelict houses at the western ends of Bank Street and Drs. James Parker Boulevard.

May 5, 2016 - 6:17 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: REJECTED PLAN GETS SECOND SHOT

The project, dubbed the Element, would be built on West Front Street next door to Trinity Episcopal Church. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A proposed 35-unit apartment building rejected by the Red Bank zoning board last week may end up getting built anyway.

The borough council on Wednesday night began a process that could lead to the construction of the Element apartments on West Front Street, opposite Riverside Gardens Park, without the developer having to appeal the zoning board’s denial of last Thursday.

And the council was acting, said Mayor Pasquale Menna, on a request made by the developer less than 24 hours after the zoning board rejection.

March 24, 2016 - 8:27 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: ZONERS NIX APARTMENT PLAN

The project, dubbed the Element, called for 35 rental units on a site previously approved for 27 condos. (Architect’s rendering. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank’s zoning board rejected plans for a 35-unit apartment building on a long-vacant downtown lot Thursday night.

The proposed structure — at 55 West Front Street, opposite Riverside Gardens Park — was shot down on a motion by presumptive Democratic council candidate Erik Yngstrom, who said it was too dense.

Mayor Pasquale Menna, who was in the audience, was sharply critical of the decision.

March 17, 2016 - 11:28 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: LONG-STALLED CONDOS STARTED

Builder Charlie Farkouh on the Bank Street portion of the project earlier this week. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A planned condo complex with a knotty, decade-long history of false starts is finally going into the ground on Red Bank’s West Side.

Rumson builder Charles Farkouh, who acquired the project in August, tells redbankgreen he’ll have the 15-unit River’s Edge project, which spans several lots at the western ends of Bank Street and Drs. James Parker Boulevard, finished in 12 to 14 months.

“Full steam,” said Farkouh, as workers prepared footings in a large excavation abutting a steep bank overlooking the Swimming River on Tuesday. “It’s happening.”

October 9, 2015 - 9:40 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: ZONERS QUESTION HOUSING PLAN

An architect’s rendering, above, shows the elevated patio of the proposed Element apartments, with parking underneath. Below, a view of the property, which includes a strip alongside the old Liberty Hose firehouse on White Street. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

55 w front 080315 Questions about parking adequacy and affordable housing continued to dominate as the Red Bank zoning board resumed hearings on a 35-unit apartment building proposed for West Front Street Thursday night.

Dubbed the Element, the project would be built on an irregularly shaped, three-quarter-acre vacant lot facing Riverside Gardens Park at one end and White Street, alongside the former Liberty Hose firehouse, on the other.

September 18, 2015 - 8:14 am | Comments ()

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Serving Red Bank and Greater Red Bank, NJ

RED BANK: PROJECT REVIEW GETS UNDERWAY

RED BANK: MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT ON DECK

FAIR HAVEN: STATION NOW IN HOUSING DEAL

RED BANK: MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED

RED BANK: HOUSING LOTTERY SLATED

RED BANK: HOME REHAB GRANTS AVAILABLE

RED BANK: COUNCIL RECAP

RED BANK: SIGNAGE MARKS COUNCIL AGENDA

FAIR HAVEN: HOUSING PLAN DRAWS FIRE

RED BANK: RIVERMARK PROJECT APPROVED

RED BANK: GARAGE CONVERSION NIXED

RED BANK: WEST SIDE HOMES NEARLY READY

RED BANK: REJECTED PLAN GETS SECOND SHOT

RED BANK: ZONERS NIX APARTMENT PLAN

RED BANK: LONG-STALLED CONDOS STARTED

RED BANK: ZONERS QUESTION HOUSING PLAN