By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
FOFT MONMOUTH – Delays for two high-profile residential projects on the former U.S. Army post and progress on the fort’s walking trail were addressed during the May 15 meeting of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA).
Walking Trail Gets A Parking Lot
A public fort-wide walking trail has long been part of Fort Monmouth’s redevelopment plan, with individual developers responsible for constructing the portions on their properties.
In Oceanport, some sections are already in use near New Jersey City University on Sherrill Avenue and at the East Gate residential community in former officers’ housing near the Oceanport Avenue gates. Now, two former administrative buildings across from The Fort Athletic Club are being demolished to clear the site for a small parking lot the public will be able to use to access the trail.
According to Sarah Giberson, FMERA’s director of Real Estate Development, the authority’s voting members approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Oceanport to utilize Colliers Engineering to manage the project via bidding and contractor selection oversight. Yannuzzi Group, a Kinnelon demolition company, was selected for abatement and demolition at a cost not to exceed $516,729. State infrastructure grants are funding the project.
“This is on FMERA’s property and FMERA’s intention is to transfer the future parking lot to another public entity, but no details are formalized at this time,” Giberson said. Fort developers must construct the trail, but FMERA does not mandate the location. Individual sections “must connect with the adjacent parcel in a logical matter,” Giberson said. “We review each portion during the Mandatory Conceptual Review process.”
The trail will weave through all development areas connecting businesses the public might visit or use, including open space, restaurants and facilities like The Fort Athletic Club.
Nurses Quarters Gets Sixth Extension
Also in Oceanport, redevelopment of the fort’s former Nurses Quarters at Main Street and Stephenson Avenue received a sixth extension during last week’s FMERA meeting, delaying the start of construction to 36 months after closing.
RPM Development LLC of Montclair is converting the site into 34 new rental units with 20 percent affordable.
The project has undergone several modifications since RPM entered into a purchase and redevelopment agreement with FMERA in 2019, agreeing to pay $2.15 million for the property and make a total capital investment of $6.69 million to revamp the 1962 facility on 3.75 acres. Changing market conditions, COVID-19, delays in the approval process, and the company’s involvement in other projects were all deemed valid reasons to grant the extensions.
“As RPM has been proceeding in good faith and agreed to timely close, FMERA staff recommends granting this extension to ensure quality construction,” staff wrote in recommending the extension.
Howard Commons
Closing is expected to occur within the next few weeks on Liberty Pointe, Lennar’s redevelopment of the former Howard Commons military housing on Pinebrook Road in the fort’s Charles Wood Area in Eatontown. The authority granted the national homebuilder a seventh extension May 15.
Lennar entered into a contract to purchase the 60-acre site in November 2021 for $1.8 million with plans for a capital investment of $66 million. The project involved demolishing 486 vacant and deteriorating townhomes and general-purpose buildings, replacing them with 275 dwelling units and a gas station/convenience store fronting Hope Road. Twenty of the residential units are slated for affordable housing.
The contract also includes abatement of pesticide-contaminated soil on the property. During the due diligence investigations, Lennar identified additional groundwater and soil contamination that required testing, necessitating a 90-day extension in 2022.
In June 2022, FMERA unanimously voted to modify the purchase and redevelopment agreement to permit up to 40,000 square feet of retail space with a limit of two stories and 35 feet in height.
In April, Lennar requested an additional six-month extension to the approval period, citing delays with receiving local approvals and the need for an additional agreement regarding downstream sewer system improvements. Citing that Lennar has been proceeding in good faith, FMERA staff supported the extension to Jan. 2, 2025. Lennar is also obligated to improve access to the ball fields located near the southeast portion of the property. An email to Lennar requesting additional information went unanswered.
The U.S. Army closed the 1,126-acre fort spanning parts of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls in 2011. Operating under the auspices of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and Attorney General’s Office with members from local, county and state government and a professional staff, “FMERA continues to make good progress on the fort’s redevelopment,” Giberson noted, with about 86 percent of the military installation sold, under contract, in negotiations or entering the request for proposals process. Thirty-four parcels have been sold, and another seven properties are under contract or have board-approved contracts. New homes, businesses and amenities have come online on a rolling basis over the past decade.
The article originally appeared in the May 23 – May 29, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
