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RED BANK: ART GALLERY TAKING A DETOUR

Detour Gallery on opening night in 2016. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

See CLARIFICATION below

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njSeven years after it opened in Red Bank with a splash, Detour Gallery is heading for the Highline.

The art gallery plans to relocate to open a new space in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, though much of its collection will remain in the converted warehouse owner Kenny Schwartz calls home, he told redbankgreen Tuesday.

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RED BANK: BASIE ADDS TO FOOTPRINT

The Basie acquired this onetime residence in the professional office zone. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Less than two years after completing a $25 million expansion, the Count Basie Center for the Arts has added to its Red Bank real estate holdings.

But the nonprofit theater has no plans to seek an exemption from property taxes on the newly acquired site, a spokesman told redbankgreen.

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RED BANK: MAKING SPACE FOR MAKERS

Debbie Eisenstein at the Red Bank Artisan Collective earlier this month. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

Five years ago, Debbie Eisentein opened the Red Bank Artisan Collective at 43 Broad Street, following her parents into the world of retailing downtown.

Though her family is an owner of the building, Eisenstein said she pays market rent, which is covered by subrents and consignment fees from the artists and craftspeople selling their works in the space.

redbankgreen visited Eisenstein recently for chat that revives the long dormant Human Bites feature.

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RED BANK: BOAS QUITS HPC, SLAMS CHAIRMAN

HPC members Barbara Boas and Paul Sullivan at Wednesday’s meeting. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njA longtime member of Red Bank’s Historic Preservation Commission has quit, slamming what she called the “authoritarianism” of its new chairman.

After 12 years of volunteering, Barbara Boas attended her final HPC meeting Wednesday night, telling redbankgreen she was done with the way Chairman Chris Fabricant runs things.

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RED BANK: SPARED HOUSE TO GET SPRUCE-UP

The new owners of 26 Wallace Street plan to refurbish it as a single-family home. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njA 19th-century house in downtown Red Bank, spared by public clamor from the wrecking ball earlier this year, has new owners who hope to restore its onetime “splendor,” redbankgreen has learned.

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RED BANK: BUILDING VALUE DOUBLES. HOW?

The building at 14-16 Broad Street doubled in value in just two years. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

red bank what's going on hereTalk about rapid inflation: a downtown Red Bank commercial building doubled in value over the last two years, according to a recent sale.

What’s Going On Here?

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RED BANK: CHEESE, OUT; E-BIKES, CRYSTALS IN

EV Motion plans to open soon in the space last occupied by the Red Bank Family Pharmacy. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

retail churn smallComing soon to downtown Red Bank: an electric bicycle store.

The district is also home to a new beach-themed gift shop, and about to get another crystals-based “wellness” retailer. But it’s also losing a beloved cheese shop, redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn has learned.

Read about all the latest changes below.

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RED BANK: FOUR BUSINESSES EXPAND

Sweetest Sin owner Angela Courtney is doubling the size of her lingerie boutique on White Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

retail churn smallWith their eyes on growth, four established Red Bank businesses are seizing opportunities to expand their presence downtown, redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn has learned.

Among them are three retailers who have found ways to survive online shopping, the coronavirus pandemic and other challenges that have crushed so many in their sector.

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RED BANK: CAR UNFENCED

red bank what's going on hereOnly the posts remained after a chainlink fence that had barricaded a car in Red Bank was removed late last week.

What’s Going On Here? Here’s the latest on the dispute in which an art gallery owner had his car boxed in by a fence last week.

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RED BANK: FENCE ENCLOSES GALLERIST’S CAR

A fence erected Monday enclosed a car owned by Kenny Schwartz behind his art gallery. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njIn another context, it might be seen as artistic commentary on modern existence: a car boxed in between two buildings and a chainlink fence, and no way out.

But to Red Bank art collector Kenny Schwartz, it’s no ironic statement. His car will need “wings” to escape from his gallery’s backyard after a “heavy handed” move involving a couple of real estate powerhouses, he said Monday.

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RED BANK: DENHOLTZ PLANS MASSIVE PROJECT

Denholtz’s plan would cover several NJ Transit parking lots, as well as company-owned sites. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topicDenholtz Properties is negotiating to create a massive new development at the Red Bank train station, redbankgreen has learned.

The company’s plan is dependent on the borough designating a swath of sites around the station as redevelopment area, CEO Steve Denholtz said in an interview this week.

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RED BANK: DENHOLTZ TO BUY MAYO PROPERTY

Mayo Auto Service owner Pete Soviero outside his Monmouth Street shop last week. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topicThe Denholtz Properties juggernaut continues, with the Red Bank real estate development company about to acquire another key block of sites in town.

Mayo Auto Service owner Pete Soviero has agreed to sell the Monmouth Street property alongside the train station that’s been home to his business for the past 18 years, he confirmed to redbankgreen last week.

But the shop is “not going anywhere” for several years, he said.

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RED BANK: ZONING BOARD REJECTS PRC PLAN

The latest proposal by PRC called for additions at 141 West Front Street to top out at six stories, as shown at left. The original nine-story plan is shown at right. (Renderings by William Feinberg. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njAfter two years and multiple rounds of scaling back, the air space above Pazzo MMX restaurant in downtown Red Bank won’t be filled with new apartments after all.

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RED BANK: CENTURY HOUSE SPARED

Downtown Investors has dropped its plans to demolish the house at 26 Wallace Street for parking. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njA century house targeted for demolition in downtown Red Bank has been spared the wrecking ball, redbankgreen has learned.

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RED BANK: PRC SHRINKS PROPOSAL AGAIN

The latest plan calls for additions at 141 West Front Street to top out at six stories. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

EDITOR’ NOTE: This is a repost of an article from January 18. The January 20 zoning board hearing on this plan was cancelled and is now scheduled for Thursday, March 3.

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njMore than two years after it was first proposed, a massive addition to an existing building in downtown Red Bank keeps getting less massive.

With the third round of revisions made in the hope of satisfying the zoning board this week, PRC Group has reduced its ask to 58 residential units, down from the original 150, and from 99 last summer.

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RED BANK: HPC SPLITS OVER CENTURY HOUSE

Downtown Investors plans to demolish the house at 26 Wallace Street for parking. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njMembers of Red Bank’s Historic Preservation Commission split Wednesday night over its next steps regarding a developer’s plan to demolish a century house for parking.

The HPC also approved remodeling plans for a building at a key downtown intersection after the owner revised plans that were rejected a month ago.

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RED BANK: DENHOLTZ LOCKS UP KEY CORNER

Denholtz Properties now owns four properties at the northwest corner of East Front Street and Wharf Avenue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njIn a move sure to dial up expectations for a possible Broad to the river project, Red Bank-based developer Denholtz Properties has added to its holdings on a key downtown block.

Company CEO Steve Denholtz says the firm does not have a plan to fulfill the century-old dream of panoramic Navesink River views from Broad Street. But he’s still not ruling it out.

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RED BANK: DENHOLTZ BUYS BUILDING & LOT

Denholtz Properties is adding the parking lot at 133 Broad Street to its portfolio, which already includes the office building at 137-139 Broad, at right. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njA privately owned downtown Red Bank parking lot that all but screams for development is about to get a new owner, redbankgreen has learned: the borough’s busiest builder. More →

RED BANK: HPC REJECTS TWO PLANS, OKS ONE

The Dublin House Pub’s plan called for the enclosure of an existing porch and balconies. (Rendering by Michael Savarese Associates. Click to enlarge.)

See UPDATE below

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njRed Bank’s Historic Preservation Commission nixed proposed makeovers of two downtown buildings as inappropriate Wednesday night.

A third plan, to give a corner building a “midcentury modern” look, sailed to approval.

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RED BANK: PRC SHRINKS PROPOSAL AGAIN

The latest plan calls for additions at 141 West Front Street to top out at six stories. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

UPDATE: The January 20 zoning board hearing on this plan was cancelled. The board next meets on March 3.

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njMore than two years after it was first proposed, a massive addition to an existing building in downtown Red Bank keeps getting less massive.

With the third round of revisions made in the hope of satisfying the zoning board this week, PRC Group has reduced its ask to 58 residential units, down from the original 150, and from 99 last summer.

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RED BANK: MAKEOVERS TO GET HPC REVIEWS

Denholtz Properties plans to redo the existing building at Broad Street and Reckless Place. (Rendering by Rotwein + Blake. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Buildings at two high-visibility corners in downtown Red Bank would get makeovers under plans scheduled for review this week by the Historic Preservation Commission.

Here’s what’s on deck.

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RED BANK: JON STEWART SELLS SECOND HOME

Jon Stewart’s former homes on Alston Court, left, and Fisher Place, right, as seen from the Navesink River in 2010. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

See UPDATE below

By JOHN T. WARD

Comedian Jon Stewart appears to have ended his time as a Red Bank dual homeowner.

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