By Allison Perrine
RED BANK – Plans for a mixed-use residential project on the West Side of town were scrapped last week after several objectors spoke out against the development at a Sept. 16 zoning board meeting. The application was brought by Yellow Brook Property Co. LLC, owned by local developer Roger Mumford. Sept. 16 marked the fourth time the application for the project, dubbed The Parker at Red Bank, went before the board for the construction of 20 residential units atop commercial space at 234-240 Shrewsbury Ave. Two of the units would have been designated as affordable. After refining the plans multiple times to address concerns expressed by board members and the public – including the number of units, parking spaces and more – Mumford decided to withdraw his application after two-plus hours of testimony and fielding questions and comments from the board and public. “I’m going to withdraw this application,” Mumford announced. “I need to understand how to work with Red Bank, because the West Side really was neglected for a long period of time,” he said, adding that when he saw Bridge Avenue 12 years ago, “it seemed like the trash wasn’t even being picked up.”
“How is it that a developer should try to get some type of inkling as to whether or not the project – before a major investment is made – is something that might be consistent with what all of you might want to see? It’s a huge void here. It’s not fair to the developer and I need direction,” Mumford said while addressing the board. “To not recognize the neglect over a period of time that the people have suffered there is unbelievable.”
The property currently contains two vacant single family residential dwellings. When Mumford and his team first went before the board, the plan was to demolish them and construct a four-story building with about 4,580 square feet of commercial retail space on the ground floor. Above that would sit three higher floors with 23 total residential rental units, two of which would have been deemed affordable. Plans were later revised. Still seeking use and height variances in this application, the plans were altered to include 20 total residential units; a reduction of commercial space square footage from 4,540 to about 3,370; the addition of some parking spaces to total 34; and other improvements.
“This is the best parking of any property I’ve ever worked on in Red Bank,” said Mumford. “Parking will not be an issue here.” Despite his assurance, parking and other issues were voiced by meeting attendees, such as rent prices and potential displacements that could result. Mumford estimated that, depending on size, the one-bedroom units would cost around $2,000 to $2,500 in rent each month and the two-bedroom, two-bathroom units would be set at about $2,600 or higher.
“Many times, the market units are the economic engine to bring in the affordable units,” said licensed professional planner Christine Nazzaro Cofone.
“We’re trying to balance reinvestment in the neighborhood but also creating something that’s good for the neighborhood… I think it would be, really, a missed opportunity to not do some- thing for this corner and to take the opportunity to have the investment here that Mr. Mumford is looking to make into this area.”However, borough resident Henry Tindal said as someone who has lived on the West Side of Red Bank for over 30 years, he found the proposal “baffling.”
“Who on the West Side of Red Bank is going to rent any of those apartments? Who can afford that?” he questioned, suggesting it might be more profitable to build houses for families instead of apartment complexes with more retail space. Resident Rose Sestito suggested that the proposed apartments would likely be occupied by younger people and that once they start having families, they will move on from one or two bedroom apartment units to homes.
“What’s going to happen when we have an over saturation of one bedroom apartments when these young people that these apartments are basically being rented to decide to start having families and moving out of them? We’re going to have a town full of vacant apartment buildings,” she said to Mumford. Then, looking to the board, she implored officials to “keep in mind the future of Red Bank and what is going to happen when these people start moving out once they start having families.”
Resident Mary-Ellen Mess said her opposition to the project was “not about Mr. Mumford’s character or his competence as a landlord” but instead about potential impacts on neighboring property values, “gentrification” and the example this application could have set for future developers.“The decision you make tonight is going to come back to you at a meeting in the future and it’s going to be used as justification to approve another large project that exceeds the zoning,” she said.
The article originally appeared in the September 30 – October 6, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
