By Allison Perrine
A vacant lot at the corner of West Front Street and Maple Avenue will soon be the site of 10 residential condominium units and ground-floor retail space.
RED BANK – The Red Bank Zoning Board of Adjustment gave a developer the OK to construct 10 residential units with retail space on an empty waterfront property next to the public library at its Thursday, Oct. 21 meeting.
The decision will allow developer Samuel Shamaev to build 10 residential units above 600 square feet of retail space at 96-98 West Front St. in what board member Ray Mass described as a 26,046-square foot structure with a “castle look.” Despite adding that he is “not a big fan” of the appearance, Mass and other board members gave the application unanimous approval. Plans for the site first went before the board in 2018 under a different developer who received approval to construct a four-story building with eight luxury condominiums and ground-floor commercial space. The property was later sold for $1.8 million in late 2019 to 96-98 West Front Street, LLC, according to Monmouth County records. After the COVID-19 pandemic caused some delays, revised plans were brought to the board this July, seeking density, use and other variances.
The latest plans for the project now include 28 parking spaces where 24 are required; a green roof; landscaping; 600 feet of commercial and office space; 10 market-rate condominiums for purchase; rain garden; private trash collection; a 3-foot-deep, 8-by- 16-foot rooftop pool; three electric charging stations; and additional amenities. Most of the hearing had been completed by the Oct. 21 meeting. After a brief review of the renderings presented that night, the board took a vote. Public comment on the plans took place at previous meetings when testimony was given by various professionals and board members and the public had chances to comment on the plans. At that time some concerns were raised about parking, the rooftop pool and if storm-water runoff would seep into the nearby Navesink River. The applicant took “reasonable steps” to mitigate these issues, according to the board’s July 15 meeting minutes.
IN OTHER NEWS
At the Oct. 21 zoning board meeting, officials approved a $12 million expansion plan for Lunch Break, a nonprofit that provides food, clothing and services for community members in need. The applicant sought variances to construct a two-story addition to its existing facility at 121 Drs. James Parker Blvd. as well as additional parking space, landscaping and other improvements. Lunch Break attorney Rick Brodsky, Ansell Grimm & Aaron PC, said the vacant lot in question – which sits adjacent to Lunch Break’s existing facility – is already owned by an entity of the nonprofit.
The goal is to consolidate the two lots to allow for increased food storage capabilities, more kitchen and dining space, and “more than double” the number of parking spaces that exist today – all of which have been “outgrown,” Brodsky said. “Lunch Break is busting at the seams, so to speak,” he said. According to Gwendolyn Love, executive director of Lunch Break, all the food that comes in must be brought into the basement which demands a great deal of physical labor and causes “a lot of wear and tear” on the building’s sole elevator. There’s also a lack of on-site storage so the nonprofit rents portable storage spaces and has done so “on a consistent basis” since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re paying for all of this,” said Love. “Our staff is constantly moving food, moving items to those storage units just to bring things back to Lunch Break. It’s just a lot of inefficiencies.”
This article originally appeared in the Oct. 28 – Nov. 3, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
