By Stephen Appezzato
FAIR HAVEN – At this week’s borough council meeting, Fair Haven moved forward with an application for a $500,000 grant from the Monmouth County Municipal Park Improvement Grant Program to fund the development of a passive waterfront park at 21 Fair Haven Road. The project, with an estimated cost of $1 million, aims to transform the blighted property into a scenic, accessible green space for public enjoyment.
A resolution, passed unanimously by the council June 23, authorizes the borough to seek county funding to help finance the project. The borough’s application requests the maximum grant amount, with the remaining $500,000 to be matched by municipal funds. Borough officials emphasized that the park’s concept plan is still in its early stages and is contingent upon receiving the grant.
The property, which abuts the Fair Haven municipal dock, was acquired by the borough in 2024 for approximately $1.8 million, with significant help from the county’s Municipal Land Preservation Incentive Program (MLPIP). The purchase also included riparian rights, giving the borough long-term control over the riverfront access.
The early concept plan presented this week includes a small pavilion for shade, amphitheater-style seating facing the Navesink River, kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) racks, a rain garden and green space expansion at the end of Fair Haven Road. The existing paved turnaround at the road’s end may be replaced with grass to increase park area, with grass ending at the intersection of Fairwaters Lane and Fair Haven Road. The sidewalk would be redirected to accommodate this change and connect with the dock and park.
“We’re looking at some form of a living shoreline, whether partially bulkheaded or a full living shoreline,” explained borough administrator Christopher York.
Walkways would also intersect the park and lead to the next-door municipal dock. These would be constructed from brick, “to match the historical district,” York said. The plan also calls for demolishing the existing house on the property, which was severely damaged during Super Storm Sandy in 2012 and has remained unrepaired since then. This week, the borough council passed a separate resolution authorizing the receipt of bids for demolition and site stabilization. York confirmed this portion of the project is not part of the grant-funded concept plan.
The future greenspace would be a passive park, and the concept plan is contingent upon funding from the grant, York added.
“Once we hear if we are awarded, then there’ll be continued information sessions and public outreach involved with it,” he said.
Planning for the site has been underway since the borough acquired the property. A special committee, comprising residents and various stakeholders, was formed to guide the process.
At the borough council meeting, council member Andrew LaBarbera explained that the current concept is the result of extensive community input.
“All of the open houses, council meetings, committee reports – all of that feedback was centralized and identified the concept plan components as of today, from resident engagement, liaison feedback, etc.,” LaBarbera said. “That’s what helped to facilitate some of the initial thought behind the concept plan.”
LaBarbera outlined two critical next steps before moving from concept to an eventual park design: a traffic and parking analysis for the surrounding area, and an environmental and landscape assessment due to the property’s sensitive location along the river. Both analyses will be conducted by outside professionals.
“Once we do have an updated design, then we would go back and do additional open houses, feedback and follow the same process that we did” with other major projects, LaBarbera added.
The transformation of 21 Fair Haven Road has been a long time coming. For years, the deteriorating property sat vacant. The borough’s use of the MLPIP grant last year made acquisition feasible, and now town officials hope this potential county grant will help bring the vision of a tranquil, accessible riverfront park to life.
With the grant application now submitted, borough officials await a funding decision that could determine the next phase of the waterfront project.
The article originally appeared in the June 26 – July 2, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
