By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
FORT MONMOUTH – Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls officials have 45 days to review recently expanded flexibility for Fort Monmouth’s Allison Hall Parcel in Oceanport, currently being redeveloped into the multiuse RiverWalk Center along Oceanport Avenue.
The centerpiece of the 12-acre site is the historic Allison Hall, a 1928 former U.S. Army hospital being converted into a 48-room boutique hotel with a pool and outdoor bar area.
The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) approved the commencement of the procedural “comment period” at its Oct. 16 monthly meeting. As reported in The Two River Times Sept. 19, FMERA members previously voted to allow owner/ developer Fort Monmouth Business Center, LLC to combine the two-phase project into one, extending the project’s completion deadline to July 2026.
The 12-acre “lifestyle” complex will include a mix of businesses, services, offices, retail, food and a two-story restaurant and banquet facility along Parkers Creek.
Michael Abboud and Chris Ilvento of Fort Monmouth Business Center, LLC, both of Oceanport, have been redeveloping the site since purchasing it in 2022 for $2.3 million, expecting to invest about $25 million. In 2017, Abboud purchased another historic structure nearby, Russel Hall fronting the Parade Grounds, renovating it into the headquarters of his TetherView private cloud services firm and leasing out other portions.
During the comment period, municipal officials, including governing bodies and planning boards, engineers, emergency management and attorneys, will examine the amended plans’ “objectives, assumptions, and standards” along with land use rules, FMERA’s fort reuse plan, and coordination with and effects on surrounding areas.
“As we reviewed the plan amendment changes (approved by FMERA in September), our clerk, Jeanne Smith, who also serves as planning board secretary and zoning officer, picked up on some things,” said Oceanport Mayor Tom Tvrdik. “She’s very thorough and understands the project.”
Calling the review “routine,” he said the added flexibility will “take the handcuffs off the developer for certain uses in each building, which will result in more successful projects.”
Citing “significant changes in the development landscape and market conditions in recent years, FMERA believes a more adaptive land use framework is warranted to ensure the parcel’s continued viability and alignment with contemporary trends,” staff noted in supporting documents.
The amendment does not introduce any new use types or changes to bulk standards, including floor area ratio and building heights. The maximum height for retail buildings remains limited to two stories or 30 feet, with the maximum height for office buildings set at three stories or 45 feet. The rehabilitation of existing buildings is exempt from the height requirement. The permitted lot coverage continues to be limited to 75 percent. Setback requirements also remain unchanged.
“Uses for each building used to be very specific,” explained Sarah Giberson, FMERA director of real estate development. “Now uses are allowed across the site.” Staff noted these adjustments are “not expected to result in any significant adverse impact on other areas of Fort Monmouth. In fact, adjacent areas could benefit from the redevelopment of the parcel through improved infrastructure and economic growth.”
“Development in the Fort Monmouth section of Oceanport is proceeding as planned,” Tvrdik noted, calling the site “vibrant.”
“With all the focus on Netflix, the continued progress of the RiverWalk Center… has not gotten enough attention,” he said. “Something Oceanport has long needed is a diverse commercial tax base. The combined impact of RiverWalk Center and Netflix on our tax revenue will be profound and long-lasting.”
“When we purchased the property, we had a clear vision for its end use,” Abboud said last week. “As the market evolved, we needed to slightly adjust those plans to better align with market conditions. We’re thankful for the support from FMERA, the municipalities and our neighbors. This project means a lot to both Chris and me, and we’re proud to live and work in Oceanport.”The proposed Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth is due to be constructed on 300 acres of the fort across parts of Eatontown and Oceanport over the next seven to 10 years, if all goes as planned. As Tinton Falls also has property within fort boundaries, that municipality participates in all reviews.
Abboud and Ilvento have been meeting with potential operators for the hotel in recent months, including two local hoteliers who came forward after reading about it in The Two River Times, he said. The name for the fort’s first commercial hotel has not yet been announced.
In addition to RiverWalk Center’s waterfront restaurant and banquet space, which will be created in an existing building, special occasion venue Park Loft has been hosting weddings and more since opening in 2022 in the fort’s 1941 Dance Hall a short distance away. Conceivably, guests at both venues would quickly fill Allison Hall’s 48 rooms. Netflix will also be permitted to build a hotel on its property.
“We are in the process of interviewing designers and aim to finalize both the theme and designer (of the hotel) by November,” Abboud said Oct. 17.
The article originally appeared in the October 24 – October 30, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
