By DON STINE
Area realtors are seeking to redevelop Neptune’s Bradley Park neighborhood under a proposed Transit Village plan and things may move forward faster than anticipated if a detailed zoning plan for the area can be put in place.
Marc Weinberg, chief operating officer of the Ingerman group based in Cherry Hill, said his firm, in association with Weichert Realtors, would like to see mixed-use zoning for the area, including residential, retail and commercial uses to create “a cohesive transit village.”
“We want to create a 24-hour living and working environment. We want to work with the town and create something special,” he said at last week’s Township Committee meeting.
Weinberg said his company would like to redevelop buildings like the large S.S. Adams office on Memorial Drive and other parcels in the area.
“(The transit village) could be a very attractive site with a good amount of residential units which creates safety,” he said.
Mayor Randy Bishop said he believes work on the transit village project can begin sooner if the governing body adopts an overlay zoning plan for the Bradley Park area.
The township’s engineering firm, T&M Associates based in Middletown, is producing a revised zoning plan for the area using form-based zoning that was developed with input from residents living in the affected area. This neighborhood zoning would also be included in the township’s overall Master Plan which is now being revised.
It is expected to take more than a year for the entire township Master Plan to be revised but the zoning proposal for the Bradley Park neighborhood is to be finished by T&M by next month.
“I believe that much of the overlay zoning will eventually be included into Master Plan revisions but we can proceed with the transit village without the entire Master Plan being adopted,” Bishop said.
He said other parties have also shown interest in redeveloping the Bradley Park section.
Weinberg’s proposal got some support from the Township Committee.
“You are totally on track with your concept,” said Committeeman James A. Manning Jr.
The township wants to designate the Bradley Park area as a transit village because of its proximity to the New Jersey Transit station on the other side of Memorial Drive in Bradley Beach.
Transit villages are a joint effort between the state Department of Transportation and NJ Transit to provide better access and service for commuters and people who live around mass transit stops.
The transit village would be in the area from Memorial Drive to Atkins Avenue and from Sixth Avenue to Ninth Avenue.
Several residents said they are worried about the possibility of eminent domain being used to seize their properties for the project
“This proposal is totally market-driven and the use of eminent domain has never been contemplated for this project,” Bishop said.
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