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Eatontown council reviews plan to lease part of Korean Methodist Church for recreation center
Summary
Councilors and residents discussed leasing roughly half of the Korean Methodist Church at 76 Wyckoff Road as a long‑term recreation center, funded in part by Community Benefit Agreement funds and proposed as a 10‑year lease with renewal options and a right of first refusal to buy.
The presiding officer presented a plan to rent roughly half of the Korean Methodist Church at 76 Wyckoff Road to create a centralized recreation center for Eatontown.
The presiding officer said the borough would pursue "a 10 year lease with two 5 year options to renewal and most importantly in my mind is a right of first refusal to purchase this property," and described roughly 14,000 square feet of rentable space that could be used for a gym, classrooms, and youth programs while allowing the church to continue worship services in part of the building. Officials said the borough would negotiate lease terms with the owner and that a lease would need council approval and adoption by ordinance before taking effect.
Council members pressed for details on tenant responsibilities and operations, asking who would maintain interior and exterior areas, how utilities would be metered, and whether the borough could exit if finances became constrained. The presiding officer said the landlord had agreed to negotiated exit provisions and that utilities and metering details remained under review.
Recreation staff noted state licensing rules would govern any decision to move preschool or before/after‑care programming and that some uses would require Department of Community Affairs (DCA) approvals. The presiding officer said the borough planned to use Community Benefit Agreement funds to help pay rent but that the CBA committee would need to vote to release funds before any ordinance could be adopted.
Residents and youth‑sports organizers who spoke at the public comment period supported the proposal and offered ideas for use of the space, including indoor practices, arts programs, batting cages and a teen center. "Literally every week, we could have used a space like this," one baseball coach said, urging the council to pursue due diligence quickly.
Next steps described on the dais: borough attorneys will draft a lease, staff will complete technical due diligence (including utilities and code compliance), the CBA committee must sign off on funding, and if the pieces fall into place the council could introduce a lease ordinance at its first August meeting and adopt at the second August meeting.
