Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Red Bank planning board reviews draft historic-design guidelines from HPC
Summary
The Red Bank Planning Board heard a presentation by Steven Smalling of the Historic Preservation Commission on draft design guidelines for Broad Street and Washington Street historic districts; the board clarified demolition and review processes but took no formal action on the draft.
The Red Bank Planning Board convened at 7:04 p.m. and heard a presentation from Steven Smalling, a representative of the Historic Preservation Commission, on draft historic design guidelines funded by a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust.
The guidelines are intended to provide exterior design guidance for two locally designated historic districts — Broad Street and Washington Street — and to advance objectives in Red Bank’s master plan and historic-preservation plan element. Smalling emphasized the guidelines are advisory: "They are not building code," he said, and "the design guidelines are only speaking to the exterior." The commission told the board the draft was accepted by the HPC shortly before the meeting and that an architectural-survey component focused on the Broad Street design overlay is expected to wrap up by year-end.
Smalling described five guideline sections covering roofs, exterior cladding, windows, storefronts and guidance for additions and new construction. He said preservation of a small number of remaining slate and cedar roofs is a priority but that the document allows for compatible composite materials that replicate historic profiles. On windows, the guidelines encourage repair or like-for-like wood replacement where feasible but permit high-quality composite alternatives if profiles and appearance are compatible. On storefronts — a focus for Broad Street and Monmouth Street — Smalling said the HPC worked with the River Center and the business community to encourage adaptive reuse and context-appropriate modern design rather than strict replication of earlier storefronts.
Smalling also noted detailed maps and an appendix showing block-and-lot numbers, and that the project was funded by a New Jersey Historic Trust grant and kicked off in May. He said he will present the guidelines to homeowners at a library meeting the following evening.
During board questions, a committee member raised the role of the HPC in demolition reviews. The committee member summarized the process: an applicant submits a development permit application for demolition to the planning and zoning department; the application is then routed to the Historic Preservation Commission for review; and the planning board has the final authority on whether a building may be demolished. That procedure was presented as the sequence by which demolition requests are reviewed.
No formal action on the draft design guidelines was taken at the meeting; Chair noted the document has not yet been sent to the mayor and council for formal referral or action. The board did, however, approve the minutes from the Sept. 10 meeting earlier in the session and later voted to adjourn.
Votes at a glance: The board approved the regular meeting minutes of Sept. 10 (motion moved by Steven Smalling; seconded by the Chair). Roll-call responses recorded the following attendance and votes: Christina Buenatakis — Aye; Yamaguzo — Aye; Lou Demento — Aye; Margaret Boas — Aye; Itzel Hernandez — Aye; Brad Stone — Aye; Brian Farnigan — Aye. Mayor Portman, Greg Fitzgerald, Megan Massey and Wilson Beebe were recorded as absent. A motion to adjourn was moved and seconded and carried.
