Fort ‘Open for Business’ in 2020

2883

By Laura D.C. Kolnoski

The Loft

A project nearing completion and expected to open in 2020 is The Loft microbrewery and event space.
Image courtesy FMERA and Regional Development Group LLC

FORT MONMOUTH – The New Year will see increased contract closings and the opening of new businesses on Fort Monmouth, some buoyed by a dozen new liquor licenses approved by the state to entice investors and developers to the 1,126-acre former U.S. Army base.

The liquor licenses, restricted solely to fort property within the three towns the fort spans, include six for Eatontown, four for Oceanport and two for Tinton Falls. Each municipality is currently in the process of creating processes to evaluate projects and grant the licenses, which must be approved by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), the agency overseeing the fort’s redevelopment.

“These licenses enhance and are a boon to developability and are not transferrable outside each town’s section of the fort,” said Bruce Steadman, FMERA executive director. “Each town can evaluate, with FMERA, each individual project. It will help tremendously here.”

Likely to apply for the special licenses are the former Bowling Center, former Dance Hall and anticipated restaurants. Extensive renovation and expansion work on the Dance Hall in Oceanport by Regional Development Group LLC is expected to be completed by summer, Steadman said. The 1940s structure will become The Loft microbrewery and event space. Steadman said the project has received local approvals and the development company is working on the final aspects of its approvals from Monmouth County.

A contract for the Bowling Center in Eatontown has been negotiated with Parker Creek Partners, which is the final stages of the “due diligence” portion of the process to determine if the property is suitable for transfer from FMERA. Steadman said that should be completed by the end of January with closing potentially slated for March and an opening before the end of 2020. The center is being expanded and upgraded. Plans are to add a bar, bocce courts, pool tables, shuffleboard tables and a stage.

More Fort Projects on the 2020 Horizon

Expo Theater, Eatontown: Two of the four bids received for the 1968 live performance and cinema space were deemed compliant by FMERA staff and a draft contract has been negotiated with the lead proposer who will not be publicly named until the process is further along. Pending FMERA approval of the contract, anticipated before the end of winter, Steadman hopes FMERA will close on the property in 2020.

Fitness Center, Oceanport: A new contractor is working with owners Fort Partners Group LLC to enclose what will become The Fort Athletic Club so interior work can occur during the winter, according to Steadman. The FMERA board recently granted the project a completion date extension to July 2020. Several months of potential construction were lost, a result of engineering studies and steel delivery delays tied to U.S. tariff issues. It was also determined the existing pool had numerous leaks and structural problems that made its renovation and use cost prohibitive. The facility could open by early summer, Steadman said.

Barracks, Eatontown: Six former U.S. Army barracks buildings along Route 537, known as the Avenue of Memories through the fort, are slated to become an arts-related project under Kenneth Schwartz, owner of the Detour Art Gallery in Red Bank. It will include studio, performance and gallery space, as well as short-term artist rentals. Progress has been delayed by infrastructure work, primarily a new water line being installed along the Avenue of Memories that will provide water to all projects along the roadway.

“The existing system is 50 years old,” Steadman said. “It passes monthly testing, but we must constantly test and flush the water.”

Squier Hall, Oceanport: This 31-acre complex, under contract to KKF University Enterprises LLC, will become the new satellite campus of New Jersey City University. A closing is expected this week, Steadman said, adding, “Contractors have been in the building on a Right of Entry license for a few weeks. Hopes are the first students will occupy the building next fall.”

NJCU rendering
A rendering depicts New Jersey City College as it will look once Fort Monmouth’s 1935 Squier Hall is renovated into a modern educational facility beginning later this year. 

30 Projects in Progress

“We are hopeful for two closings this month and five to six in 2020,” Steadman said in December. “We get the sale proceeds, then as per BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure), we must reinvest that money into the fort. Water and sewer projects are slated for next year, along with a big electric substation and distribution project.” Steadman stressed that all fort redevelopment projects are subject to closings, certificates of occupancy and final approvals from FMERA, the municipalities and the county. FMERA is currently working on approximately 30 different fort redevelopment projects, with 74 percent of the entire base in various stages of the process.

Among the parcels to be put up for bid during 2020 are the “400 Area” in Oceanport along the railroad tracks, slated for a multi-use transit-oriented development, and the McAfee Center, a 90,000-square-foot research and development building with several support buildings on 47 acres, also in Oceanport. Officials foresee the McAfee Center becoming a “driver for a technology campus and research and development incubator,” Steadman said, adding the New Jersey Innovation Institute will help market and manage the property’s sale next year.