By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
RED BANK — Prospective renters might soon get a chance to live in the borough’s historic 100-year-old firehouse.
A plan that would have the two-floor Liberty Hose Company building on White Street converted into first-floor retail space and two residential units on the second floor unanimously passed the borough’s Zoning Board of Adjustment May 5.
“When the property became available we were immediately intrigued. This has a lot of history in Red Bank and it’s not very often you get your hands on a property like that,” said Michael Morgan, a principal of 40 White Street LLC, which now owns the property.
Under the approved plan, the applicant would turn the 2,800-square-foot bottom floor of the firehouse into retail space to be leased at a future date. The offices on the second floor are to be converted into two apartments.
The building was purchased by the applicant from the borough in 2014 for an about $400,000.
According to Morgan, despite the change in use, the building will continue to have that historic firehouse feel.
“There is a lot of history there, and we have been in contact with a lot of the members of the Liberty Hose Fire Company as far as bringing in some of their old equipment and some of their historical memorabilia that they have had dating back to the 1800s,” Morgan said. “We really wanted to bring that in and incorporate it into the structure so that the public could come in an enjoy it. It is a great part of Red Bank’s history.”
The initial application included having a restaurant on the bottom floor. Morgan said the intention was always to make the first floor retail space.
“There was no restaurant, there was never a restaurant. Our thinking was simply ‘let’s get a change of use’ and ‘we need to get something going on’ and truthfully because there was the waver in the parking fees we said ‘let’s go for a restaurant’ even though there was none,” he said, adding that a retailer had come along who was interested in the space, but would not disclose any more information.
Both of the apartments on the second floor are slated to have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One apartment is set to be 1,150 square feet with the other being 1,386 square feet with what Morgan described as a “killer” rear deck.
Due to the lack of parking on site, the board approved of a proposal by the applicant to use two parking spaces, attached to another building owned by Morgan, located on Broad Street, within 500 feet of the firehouse.
Contact Michael Nunes at mnunes@gmnews.com.
