RED BANK – Key parts of the borough are on the verge of redevelopment. There are visions of a bustling transit village to surround its historic train station, additional plans to redesign the Route 35 bridge entrance and opportunities for mixed-use high rises along the Navesink River corridor.
During a recent meeting of the governing body, Mayor Pasquale Menna announced his appointments to Red Bank’s new redevelopment agency, an official borough board composed of two acting council members and five residents who will oversee the progress of current and future development and rehabilitation projects around town.
Menna’s appointments, which include council members Kate Triggiano and Hazim Yassin, were approved by a 4-1 council vote.
Triggiano and Yasin, the newest members of the borough council, will serve out the remainder of 2019 on the agency before potentially giving way to other members of the governing body in 2020, according to Menna.
“I believe the intent is that we’ll rotate all council members (to serve on the agency), unless they decline the opportunity to do so,” Menna said.
The following Red Bank residents were also appointed to the agency.
Wilson Beebe Jr.: A cooperative development and consulting professional, Beebe was named to the Capital Impact Partners board of directors in 2017. Capital Impact Partners is a congressionally-chartered nonprofit organization and certified community development financial institution that provides credit and financial services to underserved markets and populations across the country. Beebe founded Thanexus, Inc. in 2000, an organization that offers human resources management, marketing, communications and financial services to New Jersey’s independently owned funeral homes. He also serves as an executive consultant to the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association. Term: Through 2021
David R. Huber: A 2018 inductee to the New Jersey Tech Council’s CFO Hall of Fame, Huber retired at the end of last year from his position as chief financial officer for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, a post he held since April 2012. Huber was with the insurance company in a financial capacity for nearly 17 years. Huber has served as the vice chair and treasurer of the board of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, as well as the board governance committee chair of the Somerset County YMCA and treasurer of the Horizon Foundation. He was also a member of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Term: Through 2023
Megan Massey: Named the assistant director of NJ Transit’s Transit Friendly Land Use & Development division in November 2018, Massey has previous experience as a transportation planner and open space manager in Hudson County. She currently serves as the co-chair of the New Jersey East Coast Greenway Alliance Steering Committee, and is on the advisory board of the September 11th National Memorial Trail. Term: Through 2022
Alpha Reynolds-Lewis: A real estate appraiser who founded her own firm in 2008, Reynolds Appraisal Group, LLC, Reynolds-Lewis a member of the Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation’s board of trustees. Term: Through 2021
Jan L. Wouters: An attorney with the Lakewood firm Bathgate, Wegener and Wolf, Wouters practices in education, real estate, land use planning and zoning, and various other fields of law. In 2016, Wouters was appointed by Menna to a blue ribbon ad-hoc committee that studied a proposed expansion of the Red Bank Charter School. Term: Through 2023
Menna said each of the committee members except Huber submitted their names and resumes for consideration.
According to Menna, Huber was approached because of his knowledge of the “Saxum Project,” a redevelopment effort taking place at the three-story, 38,000-square-foot former VNA Health Group headquarters at 176 Riverside Ave.
The property was purchased in January 2018 by the Morris County firm Saxum Real Estate for $7.4 million. A discussion about the site being designated an area in need of redevelopment is underway.
Menna said Huber was part of a citizens’ group that reviewed the property acquisition.
“The process certainly opened up my eyes to the fact that we have a lot of people living in town that are not necessarily interested in speaking out at meetings, but have a great deal of expertise to lend,” Menna added. “We’re thankful to everyone who came forward.”
Menna also appointed a collection of technical advisors to the agency, including Red Bank Environmental Commission member Frank Corrado, Red Bank Historic Preservation Committee chair Michaela Ferrigine, retired borough public works employee and former zoning board member Jesse Garrison, former Riverview Medical Center president Tim Hogan, NJ Transit Real Estate Department member Jeffrey Nadell, Count Basie Center for the Arts CEO Adam Philipson, Red Bank Affordable Housing Corporation member Rev. Terrence Porter, Red Bank Public Schools superintendent Jared Rumage, and Red Bank River Center executive director James Scavone.
Menna said other professionals will be appointed following a series of requests for proposals.
This article was first published in the May 2 – 8, 2019 printed edition of The Two River Times.
