New apartments, stores could come to this land near Long Branch City Hall
LONG BRANCH - The vacant land at the corner of Lippincott Avenue, Sixth Avenue and Broadway that is across the street from City Hall and the library is being eyed for a possible mixed-use building with apartments atop retail.
That design would match the architecture of both public buildings. However, that is just what's come out of preliminary discussions that city officials have had with the developer.
No formal site plans have been submitted to the city's Planning and Zoning department yet, but a few key developments have occurred at the property recently. For starters, the land — which consists of four lots totaling about an acre combined — exchanged developer hands in November, according to Monmouth County property records.
Faith Light, an LLC with a Belmar address, purchased the lots from Broadway Properties in November for $2.1 million. Broadway Properties had owned the properties for about 20 years. It's not clear how long the land has sat vacant, but it's been at least 10 years and possibly quite more than that.
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The other development happened Wednesday when the mayor and City Council formally requested the city's Planning Board to determine if the properties can be declared an area in need of redevelopment. City Administrator Charlie Shirley said they requested that because all the lots do not sit in the same zone and the redevelopment designation could help package the lots under the same zoning rules.
The other reason for the redevelopment designation would give the city more control over the look of the finished project. For example, Shirley said they would like the developer to put in a café-style sidewalk for outdoor seating. That sidewalk would require a width of 12 feet to 15 feet, versus the standard eight feet. The city is also mulling the idea of a pedestrian crosswalk to tie the site into Slocum Park, which is directly across the street.
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Then there is city's desire to have aesthetics match City Hall and the library.
The city would strip the eminent domain element out of any redevelopment designation. City officials said there aren't any tax PILOTs planned for the site, either, which is another tool in the redevelopment designation's toolbox. A PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, allows a developer to pay a predetermined annual fee rather than be subject to property taxes, which can change each year.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Long Branch NJ could get new apartments, stores near City Hall
