FREEHOLD — Two well-known local business entities are joining forces to create a new restaurant and bar on Park Avenue (Business Route 33) in Freehold Borough.
The new eatery will be built on property that currently houses Max’s Beer, Wine and Liquor. The liquor store will remain in operation.
The owner of the Park Avenue property is Norkus Enterprises Inc., Point Pleasant. The applicant for the restaurant is Norkash, LLC. The co-managing members of the project are Stephen Norkus and Robert Kash.
Kash owns the Metropolitan Café, East Main Street, and other area restaurants.
A public hearing was conducted on the application at a Freehold Borough Land Use Board meeting on Nov. 13. The application found favor with board members and a positive resolution was prepared by the board’s attorney, Frank Accisano, and memorialized on Dec. 11.
Attorney William Mehr represented the applicant. Testifying on behalf of the project were Kash, engineer William Kurtz, traffic planner and consultant Scott Kennel, and architect James Monteforte.
According to a report prepared by the board’s engineer, William Wentzien, the Park Avenue property contains a one-story structure of 8,630 square feet. The existing use of the structure is a liquor store.
The applicant sought approval to convert 4,350 square feet of the existing floor space into a bar and restaurant to be called Tre Bar, with seating for 182 guests. The balance of the space will remain as a liquor store, according to Wentzien’s report.
The property is in a B-2b zone and the proposed uses are permitted, according to the resolution. The proposal met all of the bulk requirements of the B-2b zone with the exception of parking. The parking requirement for the two uses is 74 spaces. The site plan makes provision for 41 parking spaces.
The applicant testified that an agreement with a nearby property owner will provide additional parking for the bar and restaurant.
The resolution of approval states that the architectural improvements proposed by the applicant “will result in substantial aesthetic improvement, and the proposed restaurant use will increase the variety of uses on the northerly side of Business Route 33.”
The board determined that the benefits of the application “will substantially outweigh any detriment and that the relief sought by the applicant can be granted without substantial detriment to the public good.”
The applicant will install concrete planters or a concrete wall to protect customers who are seated on the patio from vehicular intrusion. Proposed fencing and landscaping around the patio is also part of the proposal. The applicant will provide two shade trees on the site.
— Clare Marie Celano