Story and photo by Laura D.C. Kolnoski|
FORT MONMOUTH – Last week’s first significant property closure since Fort Monmouth was transferred to Monmouth County by the U.S. Army in November will pave the way for the redevelopment of the 36-acre former Officers Housing parcel in Oceanport by RPM Development Group of Newark.
The site includes 117 residential units in single, duplex, and four-plex configurations surrounding the adjacent parade grounds. The firm plans to restore the exteriors and renovate the interiors of the homes, provide landscaping, and create a recreational area along Parker’s Creek.
The company has previous experience in historic and affordable housing development. In Newark, RPM purchased a building in the Forest Hill Historic District, vacant for over 20 years, and rehabilitated it adhering to the Department of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The project won a 2015 New Jersey Historic Preservation Award. In Camden, it under took a project combining historic rehabilitation with new construction, providing 71 rental units and over 7,000 square feet of commercial space at a former bank listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently constructing a new apartment complex in Keansburg at the corner of Beachway and Raritan Avenues, scheduled to be completed in 2018.
FORT MONMOUTH – Last week’s first significant property closure since Fort Monmouth was transferred to Monmouth County by the U.S. Army in November will pave the way for the redevelopment of the 36-acre former Officers Housing parcel in Oceanport by RPM Development Group of Newark.
The site includes 117 residential units in single, duplex, and four-plex configurations surrounding the adjacent parade grounds. The firm plans to restore the exteriors and renovate the interiors of the homes, provide landscaping, and create a recreational area along Parker’s Creek.
The company has previous experience in historic and affordable housing development. In Newark, RPM purchased a building in the Forest Hill Historic District, vacant for over 20 years, and rehabilitated it adhering to the Department of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The project won a 2015 New Jersey Historic Preservation Award. In Camden, it under took a project combining historic rehabilitation with new construction, providing 71 rental units and over 7,000 square feet of commercial space at a former bank listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently constructing a new apartment complex in Keansburg at the corner of Beachway and Raritan Avenues, scheduled to be completed in 2018.
“After a long and arduous process, this redevelopment will be a great thing for Oceanport, Monmouth County, and FMERA,” said James V. Gorman, chairman of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA). The project will create 68 market rate for-sale units and 48 rental units. Twenty percent of the rental units will be available as low and moderate income households. The first residential project to get underway at the fort, it is expected to be completed in about two years.
The closing also resulted in the first payment by FMERA on its $33 million debt to the Monmouth County Improvement Authority – about one-fifth of the amount owed according to FMERA Executive Director Bruce Steadman. The $33 million was provided from notes issued by the authority in a financial arrangement orchestrated by Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian Burry,the county’s long-time FMERA representative. Steadman said the payment represents “a huge milestone for us.”
The announcement of the closing with RPM and debt payment to the county came within days of the reopening of Route 537, also known as the Avenue of Memories, through the fort to the public. The county’s Department of Public Works and Engineering upgraded the roadway’s monuments to lost fort military personnel during the work performed prior to the re- opening, but more preser vation ef for ts are planned. Next, the monuments will be photographed and electronically recorded.
“It’s a pleasure to see much of last year’s work coming to fruition this year,” Gorman said. “The opening of the road provides the public with the opportunity to see all that is happening on the fort. We are really on a strong track.”
Among FMERA’s first post-Army endeavors was a directive to staff to find ways to accelerate the overall redevelopment of the 1,127-acre fort. Their research showed that under the bureaucratic burdens imposed by the Army, projects took an average of 30 months to complete. A timetable for 2017 has been developed, with that average expected to be reduced by six to 12 months. Closings are expected in the coming months on a number of parcels while negotiations on several more are underway.
“It’s a pleasure to see much of last year’s work coming to fruition this year,” Gorman said. “The opening of the road provides the public with the opportunity to see all that is happening on the fort. We are really on a strong track.”
Among FMERA’s first post-Army endeavors was a directive to staff to find ways to accelerate the overall redevelopment of the 1,127-acre fort. Their research showed that under the bureaucratic burdens imposed by the Army, projects took an average of 30 months to complete. A timetable for 2017 has been developed, with that average expected to be reduced by six to 12 months. Closings are expected in the coming months on a number of parcels while negotiations on several more are underway.
On Dec. 29, FMERA placed two others sites up for bid – the Lodging Area and Allison Hall. FMERA envisions the 15-acre Lodging Area as medium density residential, institutional/ civic, and/or office/research development. The 13-acre historic Allison Hall site is designated for reuse as a boutique hotel as well as retail, office/research, and open space/recreation. Proposals that include both parcels in a comprehensive redevelopment project will be considered and receive “additional points” in the evaluation process, officials said. Those bids are due March 31.
In other news, the long-awaited general public auction of fort items left behind when the Army pulled out is expected to be scheduled in May. Over the past two years, only large lot auctions of heavy equipment and building contents have been held.
“This will give individuals the opportunity to take home a piece of Fort Monmouth, be it memorabilia, hand tools, unique items, or a desk or lamp,” Steadman said. “We want to make it a day or weekend-long event on the fort.” An auction of the contents of the Lodging Area, to include residential furniture, will also be scheduled, while another large lot auction of the contents of two 45,000-foot warehouses is scheduled for March 18. Proceeds from the auctions must be re-invested into the fort’s redevelopment. Information on auctions and more will be available on fortmonmouthnj.com.
In other news, the long-awaited general public auction of fort items left behind when the Army pulled out is expected to be scheduled in May. Over the past two years, only large lot auctions of heavy equipment and building contents have been held.
“This will give individuals the opportunity to take home a piece of Fort Monmouth, be it memorabilia, hand tools, unique items, or a desk or lamp,” Steadman said. “We want to make it a day or weekend-long event on the fort.” An auction of the contents of the Lodging Area, to include residential furniture, will also be scheduled, while another large lot auction of the contents of two 45,000-foot warehouses is scheduled for March 18. Proceeds from the auctions must be re-invested into the fort’s redevelopment. Information on auctions and more will be available on fortmonmouthnj.com.
