Resident flags parking concerns for Holy Spirit Church redevelopment; shade tree commission asks for grant writer and forester

A resident raised concerns during public participation about a redevelopment study for the former Holy Spirit Church, saying the developer’s survey did not account for parking impacts in nearby residential blocks. Separately, the Environmental Shade Tree Commission asked the city for help securing a grant writer and access to a forester; council members said they were exploring a shared grant-writer arrangement with the Board of Education.

At the microphone, Jacob Cohen of 1 Lincoln Court, Long Branch, told the council he supports saving the Holy Spirit Church building but said he worried the developer-prepared study did not adequately reflect neighborhood conditions. Cohen said the traffic/parking counts cited in the report were taken during a limited window — “Friday the 22nd for three hours in the afternoon, and Saturday the 23rd between 11:00 and 4:30,” as recorded in the transcript — and he said the surrounding blocks have little…