By Kenny Walter
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH- After several delays, the Long Branch School District finally has a closing date on the former West End Elementary School building.
Superintendent Michael Salvatore said the district and the buyer, NJ Repertory Company, have set a closing date that will finally pave the way for the theater company to convert the former elementary school building on the corner of West End Avenue and Sairs Avenue into a theater.
“We actually approved a resolution last night to close on the school with minor contingencies and a reduction in price,” Salvatore said on March 24.
“It’s still a little over $2 million but we reduced it by $75,000. We will be closing on May 2.”
The plans, which were approved in December, includes a 150-seat main theater, a 35-seat rehearsal theater and a 75- seat “black box” theater for additional performances, as well as two additional movie theaters with museum and gallery space.
NJ Rep. also has plans to hold performances on the “great lawn,” which will be a crafted lawn area where the school’s athletic fields are currently located.
The West End School is a multi-story 27,000 square foot building that will be expanded an additional 20,000 square feet to accommodate NJ Rep.
Salvatore said there are minor maintance items needed to be done before the closing.
“So there is discussion about some minor repairs and improvements that we can basically handle in-house,” he said. “Therefore we expect there to be no issue closing on May 2.”
Some of the delays can be attributed to a lawsuit filed last year after the City Council voted to amend zoning ordinances to create a C-3 West End Overlay District and permit both institutional and residential uses on the second floor of retail buildings in the zone.
Attorney Scott Kelly, who has an office in West End, filed a lawsuit in 2015, charging the city engaged unlawfully in spot zoning by amending zoning ordinances to add religious uses to the conditional uses permitted in the West End zone.
Salvatore said litigation was not the only factor that led to the delay.
“We’ve only received requests from the buyer to extend the closing date,” he said. “I think it was for various reasons, I don’t think they were all surrounding litigation.
“I think they were surrounding paperwork and approvals from the board.”
Salvatore said he is finally ready to let go of the long-time school building.
“I’m extremely excited about this,” he said. “This has been a long road for us, we moved out of there 18 months ago.
“I think the board had a lot of faith that the reporter theater was going to be a great company to take over this school facility and to transform it into something special for that community in West End.”
According to NJ Rep Executive Director Gabor Barabas, the center will be open during the week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with performances in evening from Thursday to Saturday and matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
NJ Rep currently serves as the host to about 20,000 people a year and is based at the 70- seat Lumia Theatre at 179 Broadway.
NJ Rep currently produces about six shows, holds about 25 readings of new plays in development and holds classes in playwriting for adults and children.
Barabas, who founded the theater company with his wife, SuzAnne Barabas, the company’s artistic director, said the intent has always been to expand the theater to a larger, or secondary, location on Broadway.
The theater on lower Broadway is located within the city’s Broadway Arts redevelopment zone, which previously included plans for an expansive arts district, retail space and residential areas along lower Broadway. However, due to litigation and foreclosure proceedings involving the developer, the plans have not materialized.
