Planning board approves PIA Investment site plan for 501 Arnold Avenue with conditions

The Point Pleasant Beach Planning Board voted to approve application 2026449 (PIA Investment, LLC) for a mixed‑use project at 501 Arnold Avenue on March 9, 2026, after a presentation by the applicant, review of traffic and stormwater issues, and a period of public comment.

Board members and the applicant discussed site configuration, cross‑access easements, and a remaining piece of right‑of‑way the applicant said must be vacated by the mayor and council to complete the plan. The applicant’s engineer outlined a lane‑widening change from roughly 13–14 feet to 18 feet, and the board required the applicant to seek the borough’s alley vacation for a 10‑foot alley at the front of the site.

Traffic and parking were central topics. The project proposes 70 parking stalls while the strict ordinance interpretation would require 75; the applicant said shared parking, differing peak times between commercial and residential uses, and state statute credits for seven EV stalls support the proposal. The project includes EV charging stalls; the traffic witness, who identified himself as a traffic planner with more than 40 years of experience, estimated the revised vehicle movements would add about 8–10 movements on McLean but maintain a level‑of‑service 'A' at affected intersections.

Board members also raised utility and aesthetic issues, including placement and screening of gas meters and the visibility of EV stations. The board imposed conditions before final plan signing: submission and board‑engineer approval of a stormwater management report; landscaping revisions to reflect the rendering and to address an existing dead pear tree on Arnold Avenue; adherence to the borough’s affordable‑housing regulations; relocation/removal of dumpster encroachments in easements; and a requirement that any conversion from retail to a restaurant causing a parking recalculation return to the board.

A motion to approve application 2026449 was made, seconded and recorded as approved. Board discussion at the hearing repeatedly characterized the project as an appropriate downtown use: “I think this is the ideal use of this piece of property,” a board member said during deliberations.

Next steps specified by the board include the applicant’s submission of the stormwater report for the board engineer’s review and obtaining the borough vacation for the alley; the board did not record a separate timeline for final plan-signing beyond those conditions.