By KENNY WALTER
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The city may opt to make modifications to design guidelines, which were created more than two decades ago, in the city’s six redevelopment zones.
During the July 26 Workshop meeting, Assistant Planning Director Carl Turner suggested several changes to the design guidelines, which were largely created prior to the 1996 implementation of redevelopment zones.
“The recommendation was that we do not need to change the redevelopment plan or the Broadway Oceanfront redevelopment plan,” Turner said. “The design guidelines in certain areas — there were recommendations that we tweak them and make some modifications or changes.”
The city currently has six redevelopment zones: Hotel Campus, Beachfront North, Beachfront South, Pier Village, Broadway Gateway Corridor and the Lower Broadway Corridor.
Over the course of 20 years, each zone has been embroiled in controversy, with the city’s threat and use of eminent domain, resulting in litigation, as well as the economic struggles of several designated developers. However, in recent years the city has promoted smaller developers, as opposed to property assemblage, and it has resulted in several residential and commercial projects moving forward.
The zone with some of the most changes recommended is Beachfront North.
“There you have the most changes as a result of litigation and settlements,” Turner said. “The recommendation is that in order to be consistent with what the court recommended settlements were, that we would develop housing standards that would go into both multi-family and single-family based [on] the standards that were given to us.”
Turner said the recommendation is to allow commercial and residential units, as well as stand-alone commercial units on the east side of Second Avenue in the Broadway Gateway zone.
“With the Beer Garden and the CVS you are beginning to see that corridor develop,” Turner said.
According to Turner, there also should be an upgrade to the area north of the Broadway Arts redevelopment zone, which is currently an area in need of rehabilitation.
“Right now the only type of residential that is allowed there is what they call live/work residential,” he said. “Our recommendation is to make that an option, but also make other residential on second and third floors as an option, not as a requirement.”
While there are no current recommendations to make any design guideline changes for Pier Village, Turner said the city may want to revisit changes after the third phase of the project gets final approval and is constructed.
Turner said a committee formed from the Planning Board that reviewed all of the city’s redevelopment documents dating back to 1995, when the redevelopment zones were first created.
Redevelopment attorney Robert Becklemen also said the city will need to amend other ordinances for administrative reasons. He said the amendments will streamline the process for smaller developers, as well as clarify some of the language including financial contributions to the city and tax abatements.
Councilman John Pallone suggested the city council hold a special meeting to discuss some of the ordinance changes. However, city attorney James Aaron said the council can wait until the Planning Board reviews the ordinances before holding a meeting.
“My suggestion would be to refer this to the Planning Board, have the Planning Board review it and have their comments and then as a final say you will have all that time to study,” Aaron said.
