By Chris Rotolo |
RED BANK –At Red Bank RiverCenter’s third strategic planning meeting, municipal planning consultant Bill Fontana revealed a draft of a vision statement local business owners and stakeholders hope will secure a bright future for the borough’s downtown business district.
The one-sheet statement identified six transformative strategies to help Red Bank thrive over the next decade, but came coupled with a warning.
“I will tell you, that is a lot (of strategies),” said Fontana, the executive director of the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Downtown Center, a nonprofit organization that provides revitalization help to downtown districts across the nation.
“There are not a ton of towns that can take six strategies and really be effective in implementing all of them. I think that is a bit of a concern and something we need to talk to the Red Bank RiverCenter about,” said Fontana to the several dozen stakeholders who attended the meeting held at the Two River Theater.
Despite his caution, Fontana said all six strategies were valid options for the borough to capitalize on.
They include:
- A Reimagined and Reinvigorated Riverfront: The strategy aims to build upon the borough’s historic connection to the Navesink River – as well as its proximity to the Jersey Shore – by providing greater access to year-round active and passive activities on the water, as well the lush green space along the river’s bank, including the development of boating sites, riverfront dining and living options, and water-based recreation.
- A Regional Center for the Arts and Creativity: With the Count Basie and Two River theaters garnering so much attention and further support provided by art galleries, performance venues and live music settings, the borough has become one of the state’s most notable artistic hubs and could serve as a more accessible destination for artists of all mediums to find a home.
- A Place for Unique Dining and Shopping Experiences: Diversity in retail and dining options is key for the borough, which could expand on its offering of the latest fashions, finest jewelry, the best in home decor and an already storied antique district to provide an even more unique and immersive shopping and dining experience.
- An NJ Transit Village: Utilizing its historic and architecturally significant train station and surrounding structures and capitalizing on its proximity to New York City, the borough’s central business district could create roadways that are more friendly to pedestrians, bicyclists, commuters and motorists, appealing to those in search of a more residential living experience.
- A Center for Health and Wellness in Central New Jersey: With Riverview Medical Center positioned nearby, the borough could seek commercial, retail and experiential opportunities for those in search of well-being and good health, transforming Red Bank into a regional epicenter for health and wellness.
- A Center for Financial Services: The borough’s location near major centers of trade and commerce, as well as the significant disposable income of residents and patrons from surrounding communities, make Red Bank a viable candidate to become a dynamic hub for banking and financial services.
The strategies were derived from a series of surveys and questionnaires that helped gauge the local perception of the borough.
Fontana revealed the results of those community outreach efforts at Red Bank RiverCenter’s (RRRC) Aug. 13 strategic planning meeting, findings he said informed the creation of this vision statement draft, and spoke to the organization’s wishes to make the borough a destination for experiences.
“I think what Jim (Scavone) and the folks on the Red Bank RiverCenter board were interested in was this whole idea about making Red Bank a center for experiences, whether those are art experiences, theater experiences, concerts, street fairs, escape rooms. These are all tactics and things that will happen as a result of buying into the vision statement,” Fontana said.
Fontana said a full-scale commitment to the vision statement from business owners, stakeholders, borough officials and government leaders is the only way it will come to fruition.
“I will tell you, unequivocally, the things that keep communities from attaining their vision are always, always, always organizational issues. It is rarely a question of money, because if you have a good plan, people will fund your effort. But if you fight over things and don’t have your act together, there just aren’t enough resources anymore to support initiatives if everyone isn’t rowing in the same direction,” Fontana added.
Fontana said he’s confident interested parties could work together toward this common goal, a sentiment shared by RRRC executive director James Scavone, who cited the recent partnership between his organization and the Borough of Red Bank.
According to Scavone, the entities will work together to complete a study on the municipality’s alarming parking situation, which was identified via survey and focus group discussion as a potential pitfall that could derail the RRRC vision.
“I think over the past year we’ve definitely seen a shift in the relationship between the RiverCenter and some members of the borough and, more recently with this study, it’s become even more apparent,” Scavone said. “I think we’re in the right moment in time for this partnership to take fuller form and help effect some of the changes we talked about tonight.”
RRRC will hold its final strategic planning meeting Monday, Oct. 15 following a Sept. 24 parking study meeting at the Red Bank middle school.
This article was first published in the Sept. 13 – 19, 2018 print edition of The Two River Times.
