By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
Dozens of Asbury Park residents participated in a charrette style meeting at the Thurgood Marshall School Tues., Jan. 15 to offer comments on the beachfront.
The meeting featured a series of exhibits with renderings of proposals for the continued construction of the north end boardwalk and beachfront property.
According to Wikipedia “A charrette is an intensive planning session where citizens, designers and others collaborate on a vision for development. It provides a forum for ideas and offers the unique advantage of giving immediate feedback to the designers.”
Tuesday’s exhibit allowed residents to write their comments on each rendering on sticky notes and post them on the drawing.
City Manager Michael Capabianco took to the stage and told participants to be as specific as possible with their comments.
City officials including City Planner Michele Alonso and Director of Transportation Michael Manzella were stationed at the large exhibits answering residents’ questions as they perused the renderings.
The renderings were created based on public comments from residents at a Nov. 8 council meeting and from a month long online survey where the public could submit input and ideas for what they would like to see at the site.
Malcom Navias, owner of Heaven on Cookman Ave., said he favored exhibit 5 because it allowed for the most “open space and it extended the boardwalk.”
Mayor John Moor, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn and council members Yvonne Clayton, Jesse Kendle and Eileen Chapman also attended.
Cathleen Murphy, a member of the activist group Save Asbury Waterfront or SAW, said, “We are so grateful to the council for holding this meeting and for the opportunity to have this public discourse.”
Quinn said council would allow another 48 hours for the public to comment and then all of the comments will be collected before council will narrow the proposal down to one idea to be presented to iStar. The renderings were created by city engineers T&M Associates.
