Fort Monmouth bowling alley rolls a gutter ball as developer backs out

Dan Radel, Asbury Park Press
·2 min read

EATONTOWN - A plan to restore the bowling alley at Fort Monmouth is in the gutter.

Rumson-based Parker Creek Partners, which bought the old bowling alley property in the spring, is now selling it back to the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority for $1.

In return for selling it back to FMERA, the state agency leading the redevelopment of the former military base will release the group from its redevelopment obligations, which included reopening the bowling alley.

Neither FMERA, nor Parker Creek Partners, divulged the reasons for the about-face. Parker Creek Partners declined to comment.

Sarah Giberson, FMERA's marketing & development manager, said the auithority's real estate committee will be evaluating the best use of the property and remarketing the bowling alley within the next several months.

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Parker Creek Partners wrote FMERA on Sept. 7, that it no longer wished to pursue the redevelopment project and did not intend to go forward with the bowling center.

A sign in front of the shuttered Fort Monmouth Bowling Alley in Eatontown advertises a new bowling alley "The Alley at the Fort."
A sign in front of the shuttered Fort Monmouth Bowling Alley in Eatontown advertises a new bowling alley "The Alley at the Fort."

The group bought the bowling center on March 31, for a reported $1.35 million. It's not clear how the termination of the deal affects that transaction.

The group had plans to rehabilitate the original bowling alley, which sits on 2.5 acres, to create 20 lanes for bowling, a full-service restaurant and private party rooms. The place was to be called The Alley at the Fort.

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The lanes haven't been used since the fort closed in 2011. A 1941-era building on the property was also to be demolished.

Parker Creek Partners held a groundbreaking event on April 15 and had even begun asbestos remediation before pulling out of the deal.

Prior to Parker Creek Partners, Fort Monmouth B.E.C., a limited liability company owned by the same people who own Circle Bowl and Entertainment in Roxbury, sought to buy the lanes and restore them. They then backed out in 2018.

FMERA said it could take possession of the property again on Jan. 10, 2022, the earliest date it could close on the bowling center.

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: Fort Monmouth bowling alley plan falls apart as developer backs out