FREEHOLD – A property owner in Freehold Borough is seeking to construct a mixed use commercial/residential building on South Street amid concerns about the impact it may have on parking in the area.
Market Yard Properties, LLC (Jacob Lipschitz) is seeking approval to construct a three-story, 2,800-square-foot building at 23 South St. The building would have retail space on the first floor and six apartments (two two-bedroom apartments and four one-bedroom apartments) on the second and third floors.
The building, if approved, would expand a neighboring two-story, 3,612-square-foot building owned by Lipschitz that has an office on the first floor and three apartments on the second floor. Combined, the building would total 5,910 square feet with three two-bedroom apartments and six one-bedroom apartments.
Because the proposed building would be in the Freehold Center Core Redevelopment Zone, representatives of Lipschitz appeared before the Borough Council on Nov. 5 to request that the project be found to be compliant with the borough’s Core Redevelopment Plan.
Attorney Vincent Halleran presented the application. No decision was made by council members and the hearing is scheduled to continue on Nov. 19.
Under local law, applications for projects in the Freehold Center Core Redevelopment Zone must be brought before the council so that members of the governing body may determine if the application is compliant with the Core Redevelopment Plan.
If the application is found to be compliant with the plan, the application will be brought before the Planning Board for site plan approval. If the application is not found to be compliant, the application will not be able to progress further.
Planner and engineer Joseph Kociuba, representing the applicant, testified that the proposed building meets the goals and objectives of the Core Redevelopment Plan.
“This project will provide lighting to an alleyway, fill in the streetscape along South Street and provide housing opportunities,” Kociuba said. “It will restore an underused property and continue a commercial corridor.”
Architect Gregory Clark, representing the applicant, said the new structure would be physically connected to the existing building, but the interiors would not be connected.
Concerns with the application centered on whether it meets the parking requirements of the Core Redevelopment Plan and its potential impact on parking in the surrounding area, which is experiencing congestion and other difficulties.
According to Kociuba, the proposed building is required to have 25 parking spaces and the existing building is required to have 19 parking spaces, for a total of 44 required spaces. To help meet the requirement, Lipschitz acquired the rights to 21 of the 70 parking spaces at a nearby parking lot on Hudson Street.
The 21 acquired spaces, along with five existing spaces and 12 spaces from a grandfathered parking demand, would result in 38 parking spaces, a deficiency of six spaces, but would not require an amendment to the Core Redevelopment Plan, according to Kociuba.
If the council finds the application to be compliant with the plan, the applicant will be required to seek a parking variance from the Planning Board.
Businessman Barry Fisher, who is in the process of purchasing the Hudson Street lot, testified that not all of the parking spaces in that lot are taken when it is being used as a valet lot for the Aurum banquet hall in the Market Yard.
“The lot is never full and we have never had any problems,” Fisher said. “I’ve seen it half-filled, but I’ve never seen it filled and it has at least 20 free spaces.”
Aurum Events and Caterers owner Dave Esquenazi testified that the valet lot is not fully used during events. He said many guests who attend events at the banquet hall are dropped off and do not bring a vehicle to the area.
A different perspective was offered by Michael Federici, the owner of Federici’s, Main Street.
“I think this (proposed building on South Street) is a great project, but it’s all about the parking,” Federici said. “There has to be a time when you (the council) says no.”
“We think the building is beautiful,” said Jeffrey Friedman, the executive director and business advocate of Downtown Freehold, which supports activities in the borough’s downtown district. “But the parking situation is incredibly bad. I don’t think we have the infrastructure to support it.”
Council members carried the matter to Nov. 19.
“This comes down to not what we’re going to gain, but what we’re going to lose,” Councilman Michael DiBenedetto said.
