Asbury Park planning board hears revisions for 711 Bangs Avenue, leaves application to March 17

The City of Asbury Park Planning Board on Feb. 3 heard revised site and building plans for 711 Bangs Avenue that remove an originally proposed ground‑floor parking garage, replace it with about 2,400 square feet of retail and leave six residential units above, and debated whether the city’s Central Business District redevelopment rules require new commercial parking or a payment into the city parking fund.

The applicant’s attorney, Andrew Karas of 725 Madison, LLC, told the board the plan was reworked after the last hearing to eliminate the first‑floor parking garage, extend a paver band along the curb, add a street tree and provide a five‑foot rear yard. Karas also told the board he disputed expert reviewers’ interpretation that the redevelopment plan requires additional commercial parking. He cited older assessment records showing a building existed on the lot before demolition and said that, if applicable, the redevelopment plan’s first paragraph could negate parking obligations for existing floor area.

Board professionals and members pressed applicants on two legal points: (1) which version of the Central Business District (CBD) redevelopment plan controls — the original redevelopment plan text or later amendments (including a 2018 amendment) — and (2) whether a prior building’s existence at the time the plan was adopted means the current project is exempt from new commercial parking requirements. Board planner Tom Miller and the board engineer (referred to in the hearing as “Sam”) said the zoning interpretation could be ambiguous and, when an ordinance is unclear, might require referral to the zoning board or the redevelopment authority for a final interpretation. As the chair summarized, the planning board could grant site relief under its land‑use review but a definitive determination about payment to the parking fund or redevelopment authority may rest with other bodies.

The engineering witness, Daphne Galvin, described technical revisions: elimination of the driveway and extension of the paver band on Bangs Avenue, installation of a London plane street tree, a reduction in the proposed green‑roof area, a five‑foot rear yard with gated rear access, and a revised grading/drainage layout. Architect Daniel Zaneto and other representatives explained the ground‑floor retail layout, two means of egress, six residential units above the retail, a small green roof and penthouse access. The team said they will enlarge a proposed trash room (from roughly 6×6 feet to roughly 6×12 feet) to meet the municipal standard cited in the review letter and that commercial refuse could be accommodated either in a larger shared room or separately within the retail space.

Board members and professionals also focused on habitability and code items: multiple units include interior, windowless bedrooms as currently drawn on the floor plans; the architect said mechanical ventilation will be provided but that mechanical drawings are not yet complete and would be submitted with construction documents. The board required that architectural plans explicitly show mechanical ventilation for any rooms the city will treat as bedrooms.

Other requested plan changes noted during the hearing included clearer floor‑plan labels; window and rear‑yard details; showing the fixed ladder and hatch location for roof access (the applicants agreed to relocate or adjust the green roof footprint to avoid the hatch); clarification of the penthouse setback and the roof‑top mechanical screening; brick and railing material samples; revised storefront glazing calculations and alignment; removal of outdated references to a garage door; a clear refuse plan for residential and commercial trash; bike parking (a bike room was proposed in retail space and a street rack also requested); and coordination with utility providers for meter locations.

On process and scheduling, board counsel and staff discussed submittal deadlines for revised plans and consultant reports. The board established a schedule target and then voted to carry the application without further public notice to March 17, 2025, to allow time to receive revised plans and reviewer comments. The motion to carry passed on roll call, with nine members voting yes.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to carry the application for 711 Bangs Avenue to March 17, 2025: PASSED (9–0). Roll call recorded as Yes: James Benato; Councilwoman Clayton; Jim Henry; Jeremy Hoffman; Mayor Moore; Jen Souder; Daniel Shenamayo; Vice Chair Goonan; Chairwoman Barbara Kurzak.

Why it matters

If the redevelopment plan’s current interpretation requires new commercial parking, the applicant may need to provide on‑site spaces or pay into the city parking fund — the board and counsel noted that could be material to the project’s feasibility. The board’s decision to carry the application gives staff and the applicants an opportunity to submit technical clarifications (ventilation details, refuse and bike plans, lighting cut sheets, material samples, and an updated signage and storefront plan) and gives the board’s outside reviewers time to finalize recommendations.

What’s next

The applicants said they will revise the drawings and submit requested material samples and cut sheets, add roof‑access, refuse and bike‑parking details, and supply documentation about the redevelopment plan language for the board’s files. The planning board will review those materials and hear the application on March 17, 2025, unless the applicants request an alternative date.

Sources: Public meeting transcript and public reviewer letters cited during the Feb. 3, 2025 Asbury Park Planning Board hearing.