By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – The borough council approved the train station redevelopment plan last Thursday, advancing the pre-pandemic goals of transit-oriented housing consistent with the borough’s Master Plan.
The council voted unanimously at the July 10 meeting to adopt an ordinance that covers the redevelopment of properties near the train station area following the planning board’s approval at its June 12 meeting. The plan includes around 400 residential units, with 20% designated as affordable housing.
Council member David Cassidy, and previously a member of the planning board, reaffirmed the governing body’s commitment to housing equity: “We made a commitment amongst the planning board that affordable units in this town would no longer be off-site. They would always be integrated among the market rate units, and they would always be memorialized to have the exact same amenities and appliances as the market rate units.”
The 25.87-acre redevelopment area incorporates parcels along the NJ Transit railroad tracks, between Monmouth Street to the north and Drs. James Parker Boulevard to the south, encompassing the cross streets of Oakland, Chestnut, Herbert, Leonard, Catherine and River.
Some residents have expressed concerns about density and design, and several reiterated those concerns at the meeting. “I don’t see those parking lots as a blighted area,” resident Dan Riordon said, repeating his objection to the redevelopment plan. Riordan argued that the blight designation required for redevelopment is not valid.
Riordan described the project as “too massive” and “too dense.” Additionally, he pointed out that the “the density calculations in the plan also are deceptive because they include properties that really aren’t being developed,” such as the train tracks and parking lots in the north parcel.
Riordan also emphasized the need for green building requirements that include bike and pedestrian paths, among other amenities, and urged the council to fur- ther push for 80 affordable units. The developer initially proposed 84 affordable units but estimated a reduction of at least 10 units after eliminating one floor from the buildings.
Borough attorney Greg Cannon explained that there will be two more opportunities to make detailed changes to the plan before the developer has any permits to build anything – the redevelopment agree- ment will be brought up again at the public meeting for feedback and the developer will also have to return to the planning board for site plan approvals when residents can again suggest changes.
“If we don’t fight for affordable housing in our town, there won’t be any, ” said council member Ben Forest, an advocate of affordable housing.
“We are, as a state, as a nation, in desperate need of housing, whether you are personally feeling the pinch or not, that is the truth,” said council member Kristina Bonatakis, a member of the planning board that approved the redevelopment plan. “I will always prioritize housing over surface parking lots.”
The article originally appeared in the July 17 – July 23, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
