BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer
OCEANPORT – Borough officials could have a plan in place for future development at the Fort Monmouth property that lies within the borough as soon as next month.
A second public meeting was held Saturday at Maple Place School to continue a dialogue with borough residents on the development plans for the estimated 419 acres of Oceanport land at the fort.
A final plan is expected to be complete and presented at a third and final public meeting to be scheduled early next month, according to Oceanport Mayor Lucille Chaump.
“We are being proactive,” said Chaump in an interview after the meeting. “We want the public’s input. As the mayor, I want to hear what the public wants to see at the fort.
“The time to ask the questions and have input is now. That is why we are having these meetings,” she said.
At last week’s meeting, planner John Clarke, of Clarke Caton Hintz, presented a conceptual plan for the Oceanport property that falls within the boundaries of the borough.
“The planners took what they heard form the public at the first meeting and fine-tuned some of it,” Chaump said.
The proposed plan for the fort is divided into five sections, according to Chaump, who said plans for the section known as the 400 area call for a train station, some 25 acres of open space and a retail and commercial zone. At the medical campus area, the Patterson Clinic would remain on the property and plans include developing condominiums and single-family detached homes as well as leaving an estimated 30 acres of open space.
An elementary school is also proposed for the medical campus area, according to Chaump.
The McAfee area will include 500,000 to 750,000 square feet of office space and 40 to 50 acres of open space.
At the Riverfront resort area, a hotel with 100-150 rooms is proposed as well as 7,500 to 10,000 square feet for a spa resort area.
Plans also call for 70-90 age-restricted condominium units to be developed in the area.
Proposals for the historic site at the fort call for it to remain as is with Barker Circle and a parade ground on some 100 acres of property.
“We received a lot of feedback from the public,” Chaump said. “At the first meeting, there were concerns about open space, and the planners included a lot of open space in these plans.
“People wanted the open space,” she said, adding, “The plans now incorporate what the county has requested for open space and parks and recreation.”
In addition to Clark and Chaump, the meeting was attended by councilmen Gerald Briscione and William Johnson, the borough economic development committee, a representative from Clarke’s firm, a civil engineer, an economic consultant and some 40 members of the public.
The first meeting was held April 14 to gain a sense of what borough residents wanted to see accomplished at Fort Monmouth, according to Chaump.
At the first meeting, members of the public recommended to the planner that an age-restricted community center and a retail area should be included in the plan.
The public also requested the hospital and hotel buildings already on the fort property remain in the final plan.
The suggestions were incorporated into the proposed plan discussed at the second meeting, Chaump said.
The planners are expected to meet with the borough economic committee before completing the final plan, Chaump said.
“They are going to fill in the final designs,” she said, “and organize the details and fine-tune the public’s input.”
Clarke Caton and Hintz was retained by the borough in December as a proactive measure in deciding the future status of the Fort Monmouth property.
The borough entered a $181,650 contract with the firm to design the plan as well as to host public meetings to gain an understanding of the vision of Oceanport residents.
The date and location of the next meeting will be announced at a later date.