By JF Grodeska
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – To paraphrase the Roman philosopher Seneca, “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation,” a maxim on display at the most recent Atlantic Highlands Planning Board meeting Aug. 1. During the last 30 minutes of the meeting, representatives from Carton Brewing presented an informal proposal suggesting a partial repurposing of the company’s brewery building at 120 First Ave.
The plan proposes altering the building to accommodate eight two-bedroom apartments and two one-bedroom apartments on the second floor. Questions arose regarding parking, children living above a brewery and speculation that the owner was selling the building.
In an exclusive interview, Augie Carton, owner of Carton Brewing, laid out the proposal and the reasons behind the changes.
“What I found for the business is it’s happiest when I’m happiest,” Carton said. What makes him happy is “making 100 little beers a year and selling them to my neighbors,” he said, instead of trying to “sell one beer to 10 million people.”
Carton said rather than trying to increase the business “fivefold,” he’s decided to “right size or resize the brewery” to its roots.
By Carton’s estimation, there are 20,000 square feet of unused space in the 120 First Ave. building which could allow for 10 apartments, a resident lobby with an elevator and a rooftop garden greenspace. Members of the planning board questioned whether the project would meet the parking ordinance requirement of 18 spaces for that number of apartments.
Carton said the building already has 22 spaces – “more than enough parking” – and added that 4,000 square feet of space downstairs will be used to create “another seven or eight parking spaces inside.”
The purpose of the preliminary proposal was to lay the project out to the planning board to determine if they would require other concessions for the remodeling. At this point, the board is interested in the project and awaits a formal proposal.
Taking Charge
After nearly two years of hard work, planning and negotiations, the Atlantic Highlands Borough Council approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of electric vehicle charging stations for the borough.
Brian Dougherty, the council president, and Blake Deakin, chairman of the Environmental Commission, began working on the process shortly after Dougherty was elected to the council. To facilitate the project and maintain cost control, the two wrote grant proposals to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The borough received grants from both organizations.
Then Dougherty and Deakin faced the arduous task of shopping the project to contractors. They settled on Bryan Electric, which has installed EV charging stations in many municipalities across the state. According to the company’s website, the choice will lower the cost as it has a contract with the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey, providing discounted pricing on materials and labor for EV charging station projects.
The borough will have three dual-port, level 2 EV charging stations installed behind the “Welcome to Atlantic Highlands Marina” sign in the harbor parking lot, providing simultaneous charging for up to six vehicles. The total cost for the project is $136,807.33. The borough received a $24,000.00 grant from the NJDEP, and the project is eligible for the United States Department of Energy and JCP&L EV Driven reimbursement grant programs. The remaining project costs will come from the borough’s Open Space Fund.
Dougherty called the installation spot an “ideal location” because of the proximity to an electrical supply. “That’s a huge concern when installing these charging stations.”
He further pointed out that “the charging stations would be close to the Seastreak ferry, the head boats and harbor recreation areas. The chargers will generate revenue for the town.” In addition, their location in the Municipal Harbor is within walking distance of a variety of restaurants, like Off the Deck and Sissy’s, and shops in town.
“Construction start date is TBD, but the installation company estimates 3-5 months until they are operational,” Dougherty said. “How quickly they can get JCP&L to prepare the new service is the main variable at this point.”
The eight Seastreak parking spaces taken by the borough for the EV charging stations will be replaced with eight spaces in the borough’s Holly Tree parking lot.
Battery Power
In other news, the traffic light at First Avenue and Route 36 has been updated with a battery backup so it will continue to function in the case of a power outage. Crossing Route 36 during power outages can be difficult; this will make Atlantic Highlands an access point for the surrounding area.
The article originally appeared in the August 15 – 21, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
