Board carries developer's plan for 183 Dr. James Parker Blvd., asks for parking, soil and elevation revisions

The Red Bank Planning Board on Jan. 14 carried an application for 183 Dr. James Parker Boulevard to its Feb. 11, 2026 meeting after hearing planning, architectural and engineering testimony and requesting follow-up technical materials.

Jenna, attorney for the applicants, described the site as "a very unique piece of property located right next to the coffee corral and between the coffee corral and Red Bank Housing Authority on James Parker Boulevard," and said the owners studied denser options but opted for two two-family houses to better fit the surrounding neighborhood.

Architect and planner Mr. O'Neal, sworn to testify, told the board the combined lots total about 22,500 square feet and are in the RD residential zoning district. He said the ordinance would allow up to six units by right, but the applicants chose two two-family buildings to reduce massing and preserve green space. "We could have put multiple town houses," he said, "but we were trying to fit into the neighborhood as much as possible."

The proposed plan shows two side-by-side two-family homes (each unit roughly 1,650 square feet, three bedrooms) served by a flag-lot driveway and a parking area. The team proposed eight on-site parking spaces and landscaping islands to reduce heat island effects; Mr. O'Neal described sustainability features including light wells and a finished attic that avoids a three-story classification.

Board members and the planner pressed on impervious surface and parking. A board member said, "I'm just worried about the amount of asphalt that you're putting down for that," and the planner noted a change in parking guidance under the Residential Site Improvement Standards (RSIS): RSIS now lists maximum, not minimum, parking and allows boards to approve fewer spaces when justified by household characteristics, transit access, off-site resources and other factors. After discussion the board signaled support for reducing the lot's parking and asked the applicant to consider cutting spaces from eight toward six (some members suggested four to six) to reduce paving.

Civil engineer AJ Gerrio was sworn and described the stormwater approach: internal collection piping feeding underground infiltration chambers and a downstream "bubble basin" at the driveway. He said soil borings and permeability testing encountered permeable soils and no seasonal high water table, which supports the proposed infiltration design, but the board requested copies of permeability test results and additional technical clarifications. "If we can't check the soils and verify that then we can't sign off on what's being proposed," the planner said.

Board members also asked for clearer street-front elevations because one building is rotated on the site; they requested renderings that show how the entry and windows will address Dr. James Parker Boulevard. The team agreed to revise plans and to consider buffer plantings along the side yard adjacent to the Coffee Corral parking lot to screen decks, condensers and trash enclosures.

The applicant agreed to provide revised plans and requested technical materials by Jan. 28 so the board's planner and engineer can review them in time for the Feb. 11 meeting. The board moved and seconded to carry the application to Feb. 11, 2026 without further notice; the motion carried.

Votes at a glance: the board approved routine organizational items early in the meeting (nominations for chair, vice chair, board secretary, attorney and engineer), accepted the 2026 meeting calendar, approved minutes from Dec. 10, and adopted administrative resolutions including resolution P15852 and master-plan consistency findings for a separate council-proposed designation (block 39, lot 30). The development application for 183 Dr. James Parker Blvd. was not decided and was carried for further review.

What happens next: the applicant will submit revised plans, soil/permeability test results and a clearer front elevation by Jan. 28. The board's planner and engineer will review those materials ahead of the Feb. 11 meeting, when the application will be heard again.