By Joseph Sapia
MIDDLETOWN – The township’s section of the Route 36 corridor has “unique challenges,” says Township Administrator Anthony P. Mercantante. Small lots, shuttered businesses and a stretch of the highway running through another municipality are some of them.
Another hindrance is half the area around Route 36 is over the open water of Raritan Bay, where no one lives, meaning there is no population to draw from for business clientele.
“It shrinks the market a little bit,” he said. “But having the water can be an attraction.” Families with young children may be attracted to swimming in the bay because they consider it safer, he said.
The township is now looking to turn negatives to positives and is seeking new ideas from the public on how to revitalize the Route 36 corridor. It kicked off what will be a six-month effort with a public exchange of ideas Tuesday, Dec. 6, at the township Arts Center.
“Everything is on the table,” Mercantante told about 40 in attendance. “There’s no crazy ideas,” he said, encouragingly.
Township leaders said they do not want to simply put out a plan, but instead involve the public in helping to “design the plan.”
Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger said “we want to bring life” to the area outside of the summer Jersey Shore season. “It’s pretty much a blank canvas. We really want to get everybody’s input.”
The focus is on an approximately 8-mile stretch of the highway, from the Keansburg boundary to the Leonardville Road area, at the Atlantic Highlands boundary. The plan is to focus on five centers in this area: from west to east, North Middletown, Port Monmouth, Belford, Leonardo and Avenue D.
“The assumption is they all have the potential for mixed use,” said Debbie Alaimo Lawlor, chief planner for Maser Consulting, the township’s planning-engineering consultant on the project.
Maser will design a conceptual plan for public review. The township hopes to have a plan, along with accompanying ordinances, in place by a May 31 deadline.
This deadline complies with the $70,000 federal grant paying for Maser’s work. The grant is for recovery from 2012’s Super Storm Sandy and was distributed by the state Department of Community Affairs. Another redevelopment plan for Port Belford got off the ground the same way in October.
Those attending the Route 36 forum broke into groups around the five areas of focus and brainstormed ideas.
At the North Middletown table were two members of the Ideal Beach Community Association – Sandra Vazquez, 55, vice president, and Greta Siwiec, 54, corresponding secretary.
“We have an amazing Bayshore area, which has its own identity,” said Siwiec, who has lived in Middletown for 10 years. “We have the best views of New York City.”
“We’re a commuters paradise,” said Vazquez, whose husband’s family goes back in the area 100 years.
Vazquez and Siwiec said the area is accessible by road, ferry, railroad and bus. Route 36 is a corridor for the Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook, but businesses along it have not succeeded, Vazquez said.
A Port Monmouth resident – Bob Kolb Sr., 72, who has lived on Route 36 in the area for 31 years – said he would like to see new businesses set up shop. “I see empty stores,” Kolb said. “It seems they can’t make a go of it.”
At the Belford table, suggestions included “branding” Route 36 in some way, and featuring its advantage of being a lower-cost area than the Route 35 corridor. Also, aesthetics need to be addressed. Roadway litter from convenience stores and traffic is a problem, they said.
the Leonardo table, suggestions included attracting a hotel. There is no need for more banks, drugstores or gasoline stations, the group said. Larry Lindsay, 54, who lives in Leonardo and owns Liberty Fence on Route 36, said he would like the area spruced up.
“Leonardo is not really a business hub,” said Lindsay, a township native who has lived in Leonardo since 1990. “Leonardo is like a bedroom community. I like it the way it is.”
At the Avenue D table, the “pros” were noted. There is ferry service to New York City, Sandy Hook for visiting, and the Henry Hudson Trail for walking and bicycling, as well as marinas and restaurants, and rentals available in neighboring Atlantic Highlands. The “cons” included empty old buildings, and a lack of roadway lighting and crosswalks.
“I’ve been waiting for this, to give incentives, to revitalize, to work with property owners,” said Frank Sala, who owns commercial property in the Avenue D area.
Township officials said maybe small properties could be merged into bigger viable properties or maybe there could be zoning changes.
“I always say if it was easy, it would have been done by now,” Mercantante said.
The township welcomes more public input. Mercantante said they should be addressed to Sanyogita Chavan, director of planning, at the township Department of Planning and Community Development at 3 Penelope Lane, Middletown NJ 07747.
