The size of

An artist’s rendering of the planned development for Two Wall St.

Two Wall St.

may be issue

RiverCenter, neighbors take interest in proposal that includes large garage

By gloria stravelli

Staff Writer

The application process for a major office/retail project in Red Bank became somewhat smoother this week when the only objector to come forward thus far stepped aside.

"We have resolved all of our differences and are here tonight to support the project and let the board know we do not object. We support the application," attorney Gary Fox told Red Bank Planning Board members on Monday.

Earlier that day, according to Fox, his clients, Geoff and Michelle Brothers, reached an agreement with RBA Associates Inc., West Long Branch, in which the developer agreed to purchase a rental property owned by the couple at 24 Wall Street, which is adjacent to the development site.

At the Planning Board hearing June 25, Fox halted proceedings by insisting that neighbors of the proposed development had not been notified of a lot coverage variance sought by the applicant, Two Wall Street, an affiliate of RBA.

Joel S. Brudner, senior vice president and chief financial officer of PRC Group, West Long Branch, another RBA affiliate, confirmed the agreement to purchase the Brothers’ property, which borders the former Schwartz auto dealership.

Brudner said the contract is contingent on approval of the development application, adding that a decision has not been made on whether the property will be absorbed into the development plan.

He said discussions on the possible purchase of 22 Wall St. by RBA are ongoing with the owner of the single-family dwelling.

However, a spokesman for the operator of a senior housing complex, located across the street from the proposed project, raised concerns about the welfare of the elderly residents who would be affected by the project.

Chester Apey, a member of the board of directors of 9 Wall Street Corp., which owns and operates Wesleyan Arms on Wall Street, told the Planning Board that the corporation had not been given notice on the application or the hearings. After a brief discussion with board members, it was determined that the failure to give notice was due to an incorrect address for 9 Wall Street on borough records.

"We are concerned about the welfare of 60 elderly people, who live in Wesleyan Arms and walk through the streets, where this project will be built," said Apey, a state administrative law judge.

"Nine Wall Street does not waive whatever rights it may have to appear to testify on this application," he said, adding that the board of 9 Wall Street would hold a special meeting on the application.

Two Wall Street is seeking approval to construct a four-story, 80,000 square-foot office building, with an adjoining 4,899 square-foot, one-level retail space and an adjacent 110,714 square-foot, five-level garage on the site which is bordered by West Front, Pearl and Wall streets. A total of 337 on-site parking spaces would be provided by the parking deck and surface parking spots.

The project, one of the largest commercial developments proposed for the borough, will cost in excess of $15 million, according to Brudner.

The scope of the project brought out four representatives of Red Bank RiverCenter: Ingeborg Perndorfer, chairwoman; Mary Mann, executive director; Jay Herman, board member; and Ned Gaunt, chairman RiverCenter’s Visual Improvement Committee.

"It’s a really important project and one of the largest projects in Red Bank in a long time, Mann told the Hub. "We just want to get as much information as possible to take to our executive committee and board.

"It’s not in the district [the Special Improvement District administered by RiverCenter] but it impacts the district. It is close to it, and is on a major thoroughfare in and out of town," she noted.

Perndorfer took advantage of a comment period to urge the project architects to increase the amount of red brick designed for the garage walls.

In testimony to board members, Brudner said the proposed project will be of "a quality and architecture which is in sync with the town" and described the present site as "close to a blighted situation aesthetically."

He said the developer has been contacted by potential tenants of the office building including financial service firms, law firms and regional corporate headquarters.

Brudner said, that while the planned parking structure is intended for the use of tenants and visitors, the developer is open to working out an arrangement with the borough for use of the garage during off-hours.

Project architect Steve McDaniel, of the Hillier Group, Princeton, reviewed project details for board members, explaining that the project has been designed not as a suburban office building but as a building with varied features which pick up on the existing architecture of Red Bank.

"It looks like a piece of a town. It’s designed to have all these features so it reads like a collection of all these elements, not just a big monolithic box," McDaniel said.

The entrance to the office building component of the project will be at the corner of West Front and Pearl streets where architects have designed a public plaza space which will include benches and landscaping.

"It is a public gesture. We are making a public space that gives something back to the town," McDaniel said.

Tenants and visitors also will be able to enter the building from the garage, which will have entry and egress on West Front and Wall streets.

The retail space is located along West Front Street and, McDaniel pointed out, can be subdivided into smaller spaces for use by more than one tenant.

The mixed-use structures, which are at different heights, are tied together with a brick facade, he added.

The Planning Board hearing on the application, which seeks bulk "C" variances for front-yard, centerline, rear-yard and side-yard setbacks, and for lot coverage, will be continued July 23, when traffic and sign experts will testify.