By Laura D.C. Kolanoski
FORT MONMOUTH – A new commercial development opportunity in the Tinton Falls section of the former U.S. Army base is slated to go on the market this fall.
The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) plans to issue a request for offers to purchase a 31.25-acre parcel that now combines three sites – the Pulse Power Building, the Pistol Range and Fire Training Area, and Building 2719 – all at Pearl Harbor Avenue and Pinebrook Road.
The circa 1988 Pulse Power Building has generated no interest from potential developers that want to continuing its previous research and development uses, FMERA officials said, given its specific design. The structure consists of 15,690 square feet of administrative offices and 10,786 square feet of lab and testing space. Officials decided to combine it with the other two properties to create “a larger parcel for either office/research and development, or an alternative commercial use consistent with planned uses in the area.” Reuse or demolition of existing structures would be allowed.
Building 2719 was one of the last built at Fort Monmouth by the Army in 2006. It has 6,574 square feet of administrative space and a 2,448-square-foot high-bay garage. The property includes a testing facility known as the “shake and bake” lab, previously used to test prototypes.
The Pistol Range, also built in 2006, has a 10-lane shooting range and totals 11,110 square feet. It includes a classroom, kitchen and bathrooms. The parcel also includes a warehouse and a fire training “burn” building. Officials originally hoped the facility would be taken over by state, county or local entities. When it wasn’t, the reuse plan was amended as, “these prior planned uses may no longer be the highest and best use of the property,” FMERA staff wrote in authority documents.
Photo courtesy FMERA
“With the Pistol Range, we dealt with a developer for three years without success in getting closure, so we’ve now combined it with adjacent parcels to make it more attractive,” said Robert Lucky, FMERA interim chairman. “We are trying to make this a wide-ranging RFOTP with lots of options. The Pistol Range may not be a pistol range. It could be demolished. We are hoping for creative proposals.”
EXPO THEATER BIDS IN
Four proposals were received by the Aug. 16 deadline to redevelop the fort’s Expo Theater. The 18,883-square-foot facility on 7.8 acres along Route 537 (Avenue of Memories) in Eatontown, built in 1968, previously served as both a 995-seat live theater and cinema and includes the adjacent Dean Field.
The property is designated for commercial redevelopment as an arts, entertainment or recreation facility. While names of bidders cannot be revealed at this stage, Bruce Steadman, FMERA executive director, said, “The compliant proposals are consistent with the RFOTP and include recreational amenities and entertainment, right in line with what we were hoping to get.” A FMERA evaluation committee is now evaluating and scoring the proposals, a process expected to take several weeks.
A MARVELOUS TV APPEARANCE
When the third season of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” debuts in December, eagle-eyed locals may recognize certain background buildings. In February, production staff came to what is known as The 400 Area of the fort, near the train tracks in Oceanport, to film background footage for the “dramedy” about a 1950s housewife who becomes a stand-up comedian.
The area’s former barracks are shown in scenes where Mrs. Maisel arrives to entertain troops, FMERA officials said. The acclaimed series has won three Golden Globe awards and been nominated for 70 awards. The 400 Area, one of the fort’s more high profile sectors, is slated to become a “transit-oriented community” adjacent to the Little Silver Train Station. FMERA intends to place it on the market before the end of 2019.
