BY LAYLI WHYTE
Staff Writer
Red Bank RED BANK — The Borough Council may soon have a committee formed for the purposes of addressing development issues in the borough.
Although the committee will not be formed to perform a direct review of the borough’s master plan, because that is the purview of the borough Planning Board, it will review development
patterns in the borough and decide what the goals are for future development of the town.
Although the committee has not yet been appointed by Mayor Edward J. McKenna Jr., there was discussion at the May 23 council meeting about having council members Jennifer Beck, Sharon Lee and Pasquale Menna sit on the committee.
“There is definitely overdevelopment all over Monmouth County,” said Menna. “All of us on the council want a healthy and vibrant commercial district and the neighborhood stabilization we all strive for.”
Menna said that he hopes once the committee is appointed, there will be a recommendation to the council within a couple of months.
“Then the second hurdle is,” he said, “does the rest of the council agree?”
Beck said that she believes the borough is at capacity and cannot continue to allow large residential developments.
“There are several spots where garden apartments and condominium complexes are allowed in the hearts of neighborhoods,” she said. “That’s not something I want to see.”
Menna said the committee would take an overview of such issues as the density in town and whether or not the borough is in favor of being designated a Transit Village.
“There is some substaintial concern about Transit Village,” said Menna. “I’m not in favor of that. I’m not necessarily sure if mixed uses are a good idea because it seems to say that would mean round-the-clock use of that site. That might work in New York City or San Fransisco, but I’m not sure it has the ability to work in a crowded two-mile area.”
The state Department of Transportation (DOT) Transit Village Initiative is part of a Smart Growth partnership between the department and NJ Transit, according to the official DOT Web site.
“A designated Transit Village is a municipality that has been recommended for designation by the interagency Transit Village Task Force,” according to the Web site. “These municipalities have demonstrated a committment to revitalizing and redeveloping the area around its transit facility into a compact, mixed-use neighborhood with a strong residential component.”
Menna said that the committee would review what developments have been approved and what zoning ordinances already exist in the borough, looking to see if any need adjustment.
Beck said that although she is against a Transit Village designation, she is not opposed to mixed-use development as a concept. She said she is more concerned with the scale of certain projects in town.
“I’m not sure Red Bank can handle any more people,” she said. “Our infrastructure is stretched as far as it can stretch.”
Concern about other towns competing for certain developments is also an issue that the committee would look at.
“We’re seeing the rebirth of places like Long Branch and Atlantic Highlands,” he said. “We want to be competitive, but we also need to do some smart reviewing of where we want to go.”
Beck said that during her 2003 council campaign, she heard from residents that they have concerns about development.
“They are very concerned about where the town is going to be in five years,” she said.
Menna said that any recommendation to the council on development goals for the borough would go before the Planning Board for review.
“People want more peace and quiet, less congestion and less noise on the street at certain hours,” said Menna. “That’s why a lot of people move to Red Bank. It’s a balance, and you have to be careful not to tip it.”