SEA BRIGHT – Three parcels in the heart of the borough’s downtown, including the abandoned Sea Bright School property, are being eyed for a boutique hotel and an associated condominium development.
During an April 16 meeting of the borough council, residents were presented with a two-phase redevelopment project beginning with The Break on Ocean Avenue, a mixed-use building with six luxury condos built above commercial space and 14 rear parking spaces on a corner lot at 1080 Ocean Ave.
An additional dwelling and single parking space was proposed for a slender neighboring property at 1084 Ocean Ave.
Phase 2 would bring the Break Hotel, a 52-room facility with rooftop event space above a two-story parking garage, with 62 private spaces and 25 public stalls.
The proposed work is to be completed on three lots identified by the borough as “areas in need of redevelopment,” a process that began in June 2016 when the borough council commissioned a study of the area.
That study noted the properties currently generate a mere $18,393 in total tax revenue for the borough, far less than what could be expected if there were three flourishing businesses in place, especially on the 16,000 square feet of school property located between River Street and South Street.
Trip Brooks, president of the Asbury Park-based Brooks Real Estate Development, delivered the presentation. He said if these proposed developments come to fruition, the borough can expect a significant increase in revenues that are more comparable to the six-figure total generated by Rooney’s Oceanfront Restaurant in nearby Long Branch, a 6,500-square-foot luxury dining facility.
“With what’s being proposed, realistically you can expect something seven to eight times the amount of what the properties are currently generating. But we don’t know exactly what will be built yet,” said Brooks, who submitted his redevelopment plan to the borough in November, after he and a number of partners acquired the corner lot at 1080 Ocean Ave.
Courtesy Brooks Real Estate Development
The project’s ambiguity, Brooks said, stems from a development agreement that is not yet established between the borough and River Street Realty LLC (RSR), a company operated by Sea Bright resident Aldo Frustaci, for the future of the Sea Bright School property.
At the meeting, Frustaci asked Brooks if he had considered subdividing the property into eight smaller lots for single-family homes, a proposal he has already brought before the planning board.
Mayor Dina Long said the borough is left with tough decisions to make concerning the future of the property, including considering redevelopment through condemnation.
Brooks said if the hotel project advances, he has already been contacted by two hotel management companies interested in investing resources in Sea Bright.
Brooks identified one of the interested parties as Lark Hotels, a group that specializes in the management of boutique hotels in New England, New York and California.
According to Brooks, the Request for Proposal he answered for this redevelopment project asked that features of the school, which closed in 1978, be preserved in the hotel development. If the project moves forward, the design will include the use of the building’s original bricks inside hotel walkways and pillars.
“The projects are independent of one another,” Brooks said. “Phase 1 will begin before a decision is made on the school property. But we have fully developed plans to move in front of the planning board when the time comes. If the school comes around, we’ll be ready to move forward.”
BSB, a company Brooks is involved with, owns the 4,674-square-foot corner lot that is earmarked for The Break on Ocean Avenue.
Brooks said the business entrance would be elevated approximately 5 feet above the sidewalk to adhere to the borough’s flood regulations, which require the ground floor to be raised.
It also allows for the 14 parking spaces to be kept off street.
“We spent a lot of time designing this streetscape in a way that the commercial space would be raised, but it would still feel like it was part of the community,” Brooks said. “The design also allows for vehicles to park underneath the condominiums with their bumpers pulled up to the back wall of the commercial space.”
Brooks noted that “an understanding” with Beachfront Joe, LLC (BFJ), the owner of 1084 Ocean Ave. is also in place. The redevelopment of that space would be financed entirely by BFJ, but architecturally designed in a manner similar to that of the mixed-use construction next door. The property is the site of a former dry cleaners.
This proposal is one of two major redevelopment presentations delivered by Brooks in the past six months. He came before residents in December with a multimillion dollar riverfront housing development named The Haven, a concept that includes 44 residential units on 2.97 acres along the Shrewsbury River, the creation of 40,000 square feet of public green space, and 810 linear feet of public boardwalk constructed on top of 840 feet of steel bulkhead, a capital expenditure of $3.8 million.
Another meeting concerning Brooks’ most recent proposal is scheduled for May 7.
