5 local projects receive planning awards from county

• The recladding of the 26-story Asbury Tower, a senior housing complex, has been selected by the Monmouth County Planning Board to receive an Honorable Mention in the 2009 Planning Merit Awards competition. The architectural elements introduced through the renovations of Asbury Tower effectively integrate the guidelines contained in the Asbury Park Waterfront Redevelopment Plan. Additionally, the Board commends the energy efficiency improvements incorporated into the renovation process. The project’s objectives included replacement of the falling façade with a completely new exterior skin; increased energy efficiency; renovation of the existing HVAC systems, bathrooms and kitchens, and installation of fire-suppression sprinklers throughout the entire building. Since the replacement of the building facade created an opportunity to add architectural interest, the building owner worked closely with the Asbury Park Planning Board and Technical Review Committee to change the nondescript character of the building by adding a polychromatic lower section to the building, along with horizontal band courses, to de-emphasize the overall height of the building. All bathrooms and kitchens were completely renovated in order to ensure long-term viability. Efficient heat pumps were
  installed in each apartment, and a computerized system was installed in the building to reduce peak electric demand. Located on the northern end of the Asbury Park oceanfront, the Asbury
  Tower provides 350 affordable residential apartments to low- and moderately low-income qualified senior citizens (62+ years). Thirty-six years of heavy wind and oceanfront exposure had caused severe deterioration to the structure’s exterior brick facade.

• The Manalapan Township Trails Plan has been selected by the Monmouth County Planning Board to receive a 2009 Planning Merit Award. The Board commends this addition to the township’s Master Plan, which promotes circulation alternatives to motorized vehicles. Additionally, the Board commends the active public participation process that supported plan development. The Manalapan Environmental Commission, in collaboration with the township’s Transportation Committee, elected officials, and administrative and professional staff prepared Manalapan Township’s Draft Trail Plan. The Draft Trail Plan outlines potential pedestrian and non-vehicular trails linking the municipality’s parks, rural landscapes, open spaces, greenways, and view sheds with residential neighborhoods and activity areas (e.g., libraries, schools, community facilities). Early in the project process, the Project Team organized a Community Visioning Workshop, inviting all interested members of the public to participate in the trail planning process. According to the township, the completed plan presents a vision and a course of action to locate, fund, build, operate and maintain a network of trails for the benefit and enjoyment of pedestrians, bicyclists, equestrians and users of other non-motorized modes of transportation. The established trail system will be located in both the suburban and rural areas of the township and include on- and off-road elements. Three pilot projects were proposed in the application to provide forward momentum in the development of Manalapan Township’s network of community trails and pathways. The proposed pilot projects include a nature trail for Wynkoop Bird Sanctuary, a trail network for Milford Brook Park, and a trail network for Thompson Grove and Oakland Mills Park.

• The Washington Street Historic District in Red Bank has been selected by the Monmouth County Planning Board to receive a 2009 Planning Merit Award. The Board commends the project’s potential to encourage development projects that will maintain and enhance consistency with the unique historic character of the neighborhood. The Washington Street District is the earliest residential area in Red Bank, at one time housing the resident population who worked in the stores of Front Street and the Remsen Dock area at the end of North Washington Street during the 19^th century. First laid out in 1850, this historical area was fully developed by 1880. Houses in the Washington Street District have a general uniformity, demonstrating a Victorian style on a moderate scale, and the narrow streets and closely spaced houses are indicative of residential construction that predates both the automobile and the streetcar, reflecting a largely pedestrian society. The Washington Street Historic District has been officially designated by the borough. The Washington Street Historic District encompasses 106 residences located east of Red Bank’s historic commercial district. Despite renovations and alterations, the Washington Street neighborhood retains the flavor and atmosphere of a 19^th century neighborhood due to its long porches, arched windows, wood shingles, mansard roofs, bay windows and balustrades. Red Bank emphasizes how this current historic district designation seeks to preserve the character of the built environment in the district – to, “Recognize, not regulate, by acknowledging the background of this community, and the preservation of the architecture and history which is the framework of the neighborhood.”

• The Bayshore Trail/Phase II in Atlantic Highlands has been selected by the Monmouth County Planning Board to receive a 2009 Planning Merit Award. The Board recognizes that
  construction of this trail segment advances county plans for the development of a contiguous trail in the Bayshore as originally proposed in 1987 in the Monmouth County Planning Board’s Bayshore Waterfront Access Plan. The Board also acknowledges the environmentally sensitive design and a construction technique utilized during trail development, and the Board commends the borough’s utilization of multiple funding sources to minimize the financial burden of trail construction on residents. The second phase of the Bayshore Trail is a 1.4-mile multi-use path that runs from the county’s Popamora Point at the eastern border of Atlantic
  Highlands to the first phase of the Bayshore Trail at the eastern edge of the borough’s municipal harbor. Phase 1 of the Bayshore Trail continues to the western edge of the borough and connects to the county’s Henry Hudson Trail. The Bayshore Trail provides residents opportunities to walk, jog, bicycle and run near their homes. Consisting of elevated timber boardwalks, packed gravel, and asphalt surfaces, the second phase of the Bayshore Trail travels through wetlands, woods, and open areas along the Atlantic Highlands waterfront. The county’s Henry Hudson Trail, which is now contiguous with this trail segment in Atlantic Highlands, is a 10-mile stretch that extends from the western boundary of Atlantic Highlands, through seven Bayshore communities, to Aberdeen. The southern extension of the Henry Hudson Trail occupies the former Freehold Branch Railroad right-of-way, from the Matawan/Aberdeen train station south to County Route 537 in Freehold Borough. This 1.4-mile “missing link” connects the Henry Hudson Trail to neighboring Highlands Borough. The continuation of the trail system through Atlantic Highlands has broadened the entire trail’s extent of use, providing more widespread functionality and facilitating greater use of non-motorized modes of transportation.

• The Port of Belford Economic Feasibility Study and Conceptual Development Plan has been selected by the Monmouth County Planning Board to receive a 2009 Planning Merit Award. The Board commends the plan’s emphasis on enhancing the commercial and economic viability of an industry that represents the maritime heritage of Monmouth County. Also, the Board acknowledges the success of the public-private partnership between Middletown Township and the property owners, which made this project feasible. The Port of Belford – recognized as the oldest operating fishing port on the East Coast – is located in Middletown Township, along the mouth of Compton’s Creek near its entrance into Raritan/Sandy Hook Bay. The local fishermen maintain a small fleet of lobster boats, clamming boats, trawlers and seining boats. The commercial fishing port is a key component of the township’s history, and Middletown’s Master Plan urges that measures be undertaken to help preserve this heritage. The study area for the Port of Belford Economic Feasibility Study consists of two adjacent coastal properties: a 6-acre lot on Compton’s Creek owned by the Belford Seafood Co-op and a vacant 9-acre tract owned by Seaport Associates, located adjacent to Raritan/Sandy Hook Bay and the mouth of Compton’s Creek. The 6-acre site is home to a commercial fishing fleet along with associated dock and storage facilities, a seafood distribution operation, a fresh fish market and a seasonal seafood restaurant. The adjacent 9-acre property is privately owned and was the previous location of the J. Howard Smith Fish Factory. The study introduced and developed conceptual design ideas, with specific emphasis on attracting visitors who, in turn, can become customers. Among the concept ideas are a ferry retail booth tosell fresh local seafood to riders of the nearby Belford ferry, an Interactive Discovery Center to promote Monmouth County’s maritime heritage, and a marine research facility.