RED BANK – Members of the public will spearhead the creative process for a redevelopment plan that could be implemented with the goal of boosting economic growth in Red Bank’s downtown district.
James Scavone, executive director of Red Bank RiverCenter, said the formation of a strategic plan that would be used to help reshape the borough’s business district will follow public information meetings that are expected to take place over the next few months. An initial meeting was held on June 18 at the Oyster Point Hotel.
A follow-up meeting is scheduled for July 16 at a site and time to be determined.
Red Bank RiverCenter is a nonprofit organization that manages Red Bank’s Special Improvement District, according to its website.
The downtown is defined as the area between the east side of Broad Street to the Galleria at the corner of Bridge Avenue and West Front Street, Scavone said.
Bill Fontana, executive director of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, was hired to facilitate the development of a strategic plan that will map out the direction Red Bank’s stakeholders would like to see the community move toward, Scavone said.
According to its website, the Pennsylvania Downtown Center is an “independent nonprofit organization dedicated to downtown issues and the revitalization of the hundreds of central business districts and surrounding neighborhoods. PDC provides affordable services to member communities, uniquely tailored to their respective economic and social conditions.”
Representatives of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center will analyze Red Bank census data, community engagement, residents’ attitudes and aspirations for the community, and survey responses from members of the community in order to expedite the planning process, according to a press release from the borough.
The Pennsylvania Downtown Center will assist in creating actions to ensure the continued success and growth of Red Bank’s downtown business community, according to the press release.
“We are going to have to wait until we develop the strategic plan before we know exactly what it will entail,” Scavone said.
Scavone said ideas will be accumulated from the public meetings that will set the tone for the standards of the downtown area, preferably for the next decade. He said some of the ideas that were put forth at the initial meeting may be discussed at the second meeting on July 16.
Scavone described the initial meeting of residents, business owners and members of the public as a preliminary gathering aimed toward brainstorming ideas that will help boost tourism and attract residents of surrounding communities to Red Bank.
“The goals and strategies will be more economically driven rather than physically driven,” Scavone said.
Scavone said the type of improvements that need to be made in Red Bank now are economic in nature, and not psychical design improvements, although Scavone said physical improvements may also be necessary in order to encourage business growth in the 2.2-square-mile community.
“Red Bank has been very successful, but I think we face some new challenges with online retailers and with the increased competition from (the planned redevelopment of) Fort Monmouth, Bell Works (in Holmdel), possibly the Monmouth Mall, and other huge developments,” Scavone said. “These are definitely new challenges. At this time, we need to look at these challenges and say, ‘How are we going to address these as an organization?’ “
He said the key question moving forward is “How do we get there?” At this point, Scavone said, Red Bank should be introduced to the future of economic possibilities in order to remain on equal footing with other retail attractions in the region.
Scavone said the proposed redevelopment plan would encourage an increase in the number of visitors, consumers and tourists that are attracted to Red Bank’s business and arts hub.
The inaugural meeting drew about 80 individuals who showed an interest in the preliminary aspects of the redevelopment initiative, Scavone said. He said the introductory gathering was an informational session aimed toward educating those who were in attendance about the planning process itself.
“We got people’s perceptions of Red Bank,” Scavone said. “It is important for us to understand how the downtown is perceived … Each meeting is a different step.”
Members of the public who are unable to attend a meeting, but would like to offer feedback, will be able to submit their ideas via an online forum to be established, he said.
“The fact that we are opening this process to the public, to the entire business community and to residents, I think the more input and the more data we get is going to make the plan that much more thorough,” Scavone said.
