Owners of restaurants lining Broad Street in Red Bank eagerly await the reopening of Broadwalk, expected at the end of July.
By Sunayana Prabhu
RED BANK – Red Bank’s Broadwalk is expected to open by the end of July for its third season in the heart of downtown. Business owners and borough officials have been working toward its re- opening and Red Bank RiverCenter has pledged to provide funding to support the borough in maintaining the pedestrian plaza on Broad Street.
Red Bank Borough Council president Kate Triggiano said the borough had productive conversations with businesses and residents during a June 29 Broadwalk roundtable public discussion. The event, attended by Triggiano and borough council members Michael Ballard and Ed Zipprich, was moderated by Bob Zuckerman from RiverCenter and included discussions about hours, safety and loading zone concerns and other project elements.
Improvements to this year’s Broadwalk – which opened in 2020 in response to the pandemic – include the installation of “new bollards which would be a major improvement instead of having those Jersey barriers,” said Triggiano. “The project is really always being improved upon and, this year, with RiverCenter dedicating money towards the cleanliness of the downtown as well, and making that pledge, is also another great improvement,” she said. Triggiano explained the need for Broadwalk to be open Monday through Sunday because its “the best programming for that space,” she said. “And it’s the only way to have the project logistically for our restaurants because, as they stated, they don’t have storage space to be moving stuff. So, it’s either seven days a week or the project doesn’t work.”
Out of the two loading zones recommended for all businesses on Broadwalk, one is already being used on the south side in front of Smoothie King and Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash. A new temporary loading zone has been recommended on West Front Street in front of Urban Outfitters by removing one parking spot.
Zuckerman, who recently joined RiverCenter as its executive director, said the organization is also looking to utilize the space more extensively by bringing in programming from the borough’s recreation department like exercise and yoga classes.
RiverCenter describes the borough as the “Greenwich Village of the Garden State.” Zuckerman brings extensive experience to or- ganizing downtown areas as a president of Down- towns New Jersey. In addition to sending a letter to the mayor and council with recommendations for optimal functioning of Broadwalk, Zuckerman said RiverCenter has “pledged to invest our own funds to supplement the DPW to clean the Broadwalk on a daily basis.”
The new retractable bollards are a major improvement this year as Broadwalk reopens for a third season.
“We get funded from our property owners,” he noted. “Public residents don’t pay the RiverCenter. We’re funded entirely through special assessments that all of the properties that are within our district pay each year.”
While pedestrian plazas in downtown districts have been known to attract revenue as people visit downtowns to shop and dine, concerns over traffic, parking and litter caused by crowds need to be mitigated with collaborative efforts. And those who don’t own restaurants aren’t thrilled about Broadwalk’s return.
Tim Cronin, the manager at Jack’s Music Shop, who is also a Red Bank resident, said, “I mean it’s good for some restaurants – it’s not particularly good for us. It’s bad for traffic, and I live in town as well. It’s terrible to get around it. So, I mean, seven days a week for months at a time? It doesn’t make any sense.” However, for restaurants that line the streets in downtown, Broadwalk has proved to be a lifeline during the pandemic, with outdoor seating helping the struggling businesses.
Adding shopping to the Broadwalk could help attract more people and help businesses other than restaurants, said Alex Montaperto, owner of Forge, a boutique home décor and accessories store on English Plaza. “People come to town to dine but there’s not a lot of shopping to do. I feel like the town focuses more on restaurants than on shops.”
In addition to the pandemic, construction has caused havoc with Broad Street for months after issues with water main leaks. “We definitely need that construction to be finished. Our business is tremendously hurting between the construction and the limited seating that we provide for our customers. It (Broadwalk) really helped us during the pandemic especially,” said Nick Culotta, manager, Patrizia’s of Red bank.
According to Zuckerman, the paving of Broadwalk is expected to be done by July 18 and he’s hoping it will reopen soon after that. At the council meeting Wednesday, July 13, after press time, the Red Bank Borough council was scheduled to review River Center’s recommendations and officially pass the resolution to open Broad walk for its third season. Triggiano noted Broad- walk graced the cover of the Monmouth County Tourism guide last year, a coup for a borough without a beach. “The cover of Monmouth County has mostly had a beach town on it,” said Triggiano. Red Bank has to compete with other towns like Long Branch and Asbury Park for tourism dollars. “Broadwalk drove people to town. It helped our economy. It’s just a wonderful project with great possibilities,” she said.
The article originally appeared in the July 14 – 20, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
