RED BANK: NEW AGENCY EYES TOWN ASSETS

Among the ideas the committee may take up: the possible sale of borough hall, above, at 90 Monmouth Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj A new municipal body with the potential to exert powerful influence on the future of Red Bank quietly took to the stage Tuesday.

Not quite the hottest ticket in town, the late-afternoon session of the new Redevelopment Agency drew an audience of three: two advisory committee members, who left early, and a reporter. But the ideas being floated, including the possible sale of borough hall, could soon move to the spotlight.

June 26, 2019 - 9:10 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: FOOD TRUCKS UP FOR DISCUSSION

John Yarusi risked a summons when he parked his Johnny’s Pork Roll truck on Wallace Street in a short-lived experiment test of borough law in 2013. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Is Red Bank ready at last to unlock the gates that keep out food trucks?

The idea of easing restrictions on food truck operations came up at last week’s borough council workshop meeting, as it has in the past. But this time, it’s not being summarily rejected by the agency that promotes the downtown business district.

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June 12, 2019 - 7:45 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY NAMED

Government consultant Ken DeRoberts will manage the agency. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj The Red Bank council approved two of its own members and five other residents to constitute a new borough redevelopment agency Wednesday night.

April 25, 2019 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: COUNCIL DROPS REVERSE APPEALS

The OceanFirst Bank headquarters was the subject of a reverse appeal case settled Wednesday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Bombarded by criticism from the business community, the Red Bank council on Wednesday dropped a plan to pursue a new round of “reverse appeals” against commercial properties it believed to be undertaxed.

But first, the council approved the settlement of an older reverse appeal that will boost the taxable value of a downtown building by 69 percent over three years. And battles over cases filed in 2018 continue.

April 11, 2019 - 9:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: REDEVELOPMENT ON AGENDA

Emanuel Court would be closed to vehicular traffic under a change up for introduction Wednesday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj The creation of a redevelopment agency for Red Bank is among the items on the borough council’s agenda Wednesday night.

Also up for consideration at the semimonthly meeting: a smoking ban, and the closing of a driveway onto a busy street.

February 26, 2019 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: GREEK FOOD, FLOWERS, ART & HAIR

Mayflowers of Red Bank took over half the Wharf Avenue space long used by Chetkin Framing, which remains next door. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A new Greek restaurant opens in Red Bank Friday, joining a flower shop that made its debut last week.

This edition of redbankgreen‘s ever-trawling Retail Churn pops in on each for the story, while serving up a bouquet of news about more planned business openings. Read on for details.

February 8, 2019 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PASTRY, PIZZA AND MORE

Anthony Campitello, with daughters Cristina, left, and Angie, has opened Alfonso’s Pastry Shop in the Broad Street space that was formerly home to Carlo’s Bake Shop. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Meet the new boss.

Quickly filling a retail space vacated by famed TV ‘Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro, a new pastry shop opened in Red Bank Wednesday, offering creamy desserts… and some perhaps unexpected savory items. Read More »

January 31, 2019 - 9:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PARKING REVENUE STILL ON TABLE

Councilman Michael Ballard, center, and Mayor Pasquale Menna on election night 2017. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank’s mayor and council say they’re “hopeful and optimistic” about implementing the recommendations of a bombshell parking study delivered this month.

The assertion was made Tuesday in an unusual press release that appeared to walk back comments made by Mayor Pasquale Menna and Councilman Michael Ballard to redbankgreen last week, when they termed a key recommendation in the report potentially “catastrophic” and a “terrible hit” for taxpayers.

January 29, 2019 - 11:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: ‘WEANING’ FROM METERS UNLIKELY

Using meters to fund town operations leaves the parking utility “without adequate financial resources” for maintenance and upgrades, the report found. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

red bank taxes One of the key recommendations of a bombshell study of Red Bank parking appears unlikely to be adopted by borough officials anytime soon, redbankgreen has learned.

At issue: the council’s annual siphoning of the surplus generated by parking meters and kiosks in order to slow property tax increases. Ending the practice, says Mayor Pasquale Menna, would be “catastrophic” for taxpayers.

January 25, 2019 - 8:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PARKING SYSTEM FOUND ‘BROKEN’

Carrie Krasnow, with study co-author Brian Bartholomew looking on, addresses the audience at the Red Bank Primary School Thursday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank might soon need another 220 or so parking spaces downtown, but it doesn’t need a parking garage just yet, a pair of experts say in a long-awaited study unwrapped Thursday night.

Instead, local officials first have to fix a “broken” parking management system, they said.

January 11, 2019 - 2:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PARKING STUDY UNBOXING SLATED

[Correction: Meeting to be held at primary school, not the middle school.]

More than a year after a push to redevelop Red Bank’s main parking facility ran into a wall, the results of a parking study will be unwrapped Thursday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

January 9, 2019 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: TACOHOLICS TO GET THEIR FIX

Tacoholics plans to covert the storefront at 90 Broad Street to a 27-seat restaurant. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Another eatery that got its start as a food truck won a green light from the Red Bank planning board Monday night.

January 8, 2019 - 6:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CORNER BUILDING SOLD

Vacant more than four years, 1 Broad Street has a new owner. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

This edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn has news of a jewelry shop opening and a long-vacant, high-profile store space changing hands.

December 21, 2018 - 9:20 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: BANK CHURNS OUT, STATIONERY IN

Vicky Li’s new Mini Shop opened Saturday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A bank branch closes and two new businesses open in downtown Red Bank.

Read all about it in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.

December 14, 2018 - 9:16 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: SKATING INTO WINTER

Red Bank RiverCenter brought bit of seasonal sparkle downtown Sunday with its first-ever Winter on Broad Street event, which included a portable ice rink and giant snowglobe for family-sized selfies. Check out redbankgreen‘s photos. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

December 10, 2018 - 8:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: WINTER WONDERLAND ON BROAD

A synthetic-ice rink will be installed on Broad Street between Wallace and White streets, above. Below, an example of one of the vendor’s giant snow globes. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A stretch of downtown Red Bank will be turned into a one-day winter wonderland complete with skating on Sunday.

Dubbed ‘Winter on Broad Street,’ the plan also calls for a walk-in snowglobe families can use for selfies and a shopping bazaar featuring locally made items.

December 5, 2018 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PASTRIES TO FILL ‘CAKE BOSS’ SPOT

A Staten Island-based pastry shop plans to set up shop in the former Carlo’s Bake Shop at 86 Broad Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

One pastry shop replaces another; work to transform a century-old firehouse into an interior design shop gets underway; a boutique closes; and a gourmet lunch spot in Red Bank’s Riverside Gardens Park pulls down the shutters for the winter.

Read all about it in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.

December 3, 2018 - 8:10 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: GETTING READY FIR LIGHT-UP

Against a brilliant late-autumn backdrop, Ed Matthews of Powerhouse Signs got down to the business of decorating Red Bank’s official Christmas tree in Riverside Gardens Park Wednesday morning.

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November 21, 2018 - 9:50 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: NEW RIVERCENTER VISION & HQ

RiverCenter executive director Jim Scavone, left, with Mayor Pasquale Menna and Visitors Center executive director Margaret Mass at the office’s opening last week. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank RiverCenter embarked on a new mission last week.

The manager of the town’s special improvement district nailed down a fresh set of priorities that calls for greater emphasis on leveraging the town’s Navesink River waterfront as a draw for visitors and investors.

It also opened its new offices to Broad Street.

October 22, 2018 - 1:30 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: TACOS, GREEK FOOD, GIFTS & MORE

Tacoholics, which started out as a food truck, plans to open its third restaurant next month, this one at 90 Broad Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

We got tacos. We got Greek food. We got a gift shop and a florist.

All the makings of a heaping autumn update to redbankgreen‘s long-running Retail Churn feature. Read on for details.

October 19, 2018 - 9:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: SUNSHINE, OYSTERS & MELANIE

An ideal day of sunshine and early-autumn temperatures drew thousands of foodies and music lovers — including fans of folk singer Melanie, at right — to downtown Red Bank for the ninth annual Guinness Oyster Festival Sunday.

An alumnus of both Red Bank Regional and Woodstock, Melanie played a short set and signed autographs.

As usual, the roving camera of redbankgreen was there to document the merriment. Check out our photos below to see if you or anyone you caught our eye. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

October 1, 2018 - 9:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PARKING GRIPES, IDEAS ECHOED

Parking consultants Carrie Krasnow and Brian Bartholomew listen to restaurateur George Lyristis at the Red Bank Middle School Monday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Like visitors circling the White Street lot in search of a spot, Red Bank merchants and residents took another spin at solving downtown parking issues Monday night.

In the same auditorium where a similar forum was held 14 months ago, about 50 participants showed up at the borough middle school to advocate for improvements, many of them echoes of long-standing complaints and suggestions.

September 25, 2018 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PORK ROLL, FRESH OFF THE TRUCK

Johnny’s Pork Roll plans to open in the space last occupied by Fizz at 8A Monmouth Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

As live-reported by redbankgreen, Johnny’s Pork Roll & Coffee truck made its debut by risking a summons for doing business where it wasn’t allowed: on the streets of Red Bank.

Now, five years later, John Yarusi’s two-truck enterprise is going legit with a brick-and-mortar stake in the borough’s downtown.

Read all about the plan, and other recent turnover activity, in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.

September 14, 2018 - 6:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: RIVERCENTER ‘VISION’ SHARPENS

Bill Fontana speaking at the Two River Theater Monday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

After four months of public meetings, Red Bank RiverCenter‘s effort to redefine its vision began coming into focus Monday night.

Topping a list of six priorities that the downtown promotion agency should focus on is a “reimagined, redeveloped and reinvigorated riverfront,” a consultant told several dozen business owners and borough residents at the Two River Theater.

September 11, 2018 - 10:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: RESTAURANT, BOUTIQUE IN CHURN

Jack Pongnoo in the former Readie’s space, where he’s opening a new restaurant. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Summer doldrums? Not in Red Bank, where storefront turnover continues as busily as ever.

This edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn has the scoops on:

• a new southeast-Asian restaurant coming to Broad Street

• an update on the former Katsin’s Pharmacy space on Shrewsbury Avenue

• a new women’s clothing boutique

• the departure of a vacuum-cleaner shop, and more.

It’s all Churning right around the ‘read more’ corner…

August 23, 2018 - 9:40 am | Comments ()

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