Coaster Photo
This is a rendering of a three-story restaurant proposed for Kingsley Street in Asbury Park.
By PATRICIA MCDANIEL
Developers of a sleek, three-story restaurant at 201 Kingsley St. and Second Avenue made an initial presentation of their plan to the Asbury Park City Council on Nov. 13. And they faced a lot of questions.
The architect for the project said the proposed restaurant with big ocean-facing windows, roll-up doors and open roof deck would become yet another “destination spot” in what he said was an already vibrant city. There will be space for private parties and even a wine and cheese shop on the first floor.
But the ever-present issue of parking for patrons dominated the council’s questioning.
There is no dedicated off-street parking for the restaurant, which is not required under code. But the council can encourage the developer to address the matter in some way. And other questions came up, with council members wanting to ensure that noise or restaurant exhaust would not impact nearby residences.
But the foremost issue was parking, or the lack of it.
There is no requirement for this site in the waterfront zone to supply dedicated parking spaces and no such spaces are being proposed, the city’s Technical Review Committee stated in a report to the council.
But Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn questioned the developer’s claim that public parking for an estimated 300 patrons and employees would happen “somehow organically.”
She referred to a comment by William Stuckey of Fasano Construction who spoke before the council and referenced parking in urban areas, such as New York City.
There is not a proposal to build parking to the north of the site, which is open, he said. “You just make it work,” he said, noting how patrons at other restaurants find parking and walk to the restaurants.
But parking is a “major issue” for the public, Quinn said. “Nobody thinks it is being handled organically,” she added.
“Three hundred to 400 people on a Friday or Saturday night – we have a problem, Bill” Quinn told Stuckey.
Stuckey acknowledged there was no “practical answer” at this point but would discuss it further with the attorney for the project prior to Planning Board discussions.
“I think you should consider something – even valet parking,” Mayor John Moor said at one point.
He also asked Stuckey about how deliveries would be handled with a bus stop on Kingsley Street. Stuckey said he presumed deliveries might take place at the southern or northern end of the site.
Noise was an issue raised by Councilwoman Angela Abhez-Anderson, who said she was concerned for residents of nearby buildings.
Stuckey said no music will be allowed. Any lease to a restaurant operator would require that no music be played – not even background music.
“So there is no music – no background music for people dining, no Frank Sinatra playing?” Moor confirmed, saying that he was at first “not a fan” of the roll-up doors because of noise concerns.
But Abhez-Anderson said there will still be conversations taking place and celebrations at private parties.
The owner of the site is 209-213 Fourth Avenue of Asbury Park LLC, with Stuckey appearing for them before the council. He was joined by attorney Kevin E. Kennedy of Red Bank and architect Andrew F. Trocchia Jr., principal of Sonnenfeld + Trocchia Architects, of Holmdel.
Trocchia displayed floor plans and exterior elevation plans, including a color rendering of the site facing Kingsley Street. The site is in the early stages of development and, if approved by the Planning Board, would eventually be contracted to a restaurant operator, Stuckey said.
Trocchia said the modern look of the restaurant is meant to reflect some design elements of the nearby Ocean Club. The restaurant would have three stories, with a rooftop deck. There is a wine and cheese shop planned for the first floor, too, he said.
But at least one eastside resident who lives at 400 Deal Lake Drive said she wasn’t thrilled to see another restaurant proposed, and she questioned what the dining prices might be. If the Ocean Club is a partial inspiration, she said she expected the planned dining spot would be pricey, out of reach for a lot of people.
“We really need a supermarket on that side of town,” she said.
The plans for the restaurant have already had an initial review by the Technical Review Committee. The council took no action on the proposal at the meeting and the developer would need its approval at a future meeting before it can move on to the Planning Board for consideration.
In a document dated Oct. 28 of this year, Michele Alonso, director of Planning and Redevelopment on behalf of the TRC informed the council of several changes already being made by the developer to meet state CAFRA rules regarding flooding and made other recommendations, which are being addressed in the latest plans.
The TRC made the following recommendations, including that the developer “not have any encroachments in the Right of Way and the developer has removed them. In lieu of a large blade sign over the Right of Way, the Developer has proposed two, two-story back lit signs on the side of the building – one facing Kingsley Street and one facing Second Avenue. This sign does require design waivers. However, they do not face residential development. It is recommended that their lighting output remains low.”
Here is a synopsis of the proposal, according to the TRC:
“The project is for a three-story restaurant bar with a separate wine shop on the ground floor. The site is currently a vacant grass lot. The lot is 6,000 square feet and undersized, with 78 percent of the lot …the building.
“The facility will primarily front on Kingsley Street. The remainder of the property will be service areas and a small landscaped area in the rear. There is no parking to be provided.
“The building style proposed is modern. The building design breaks the building into two with a change in design midway through the building. The southern Kingsley facade has large openings for diners with large heavy columns and retractable large windows. There is a third-floor dining terrace with cable railings and open trellis or a pergola over this half of the building.
“The northern Kingsley facade has a more classical look with no balconies and a cornice. The windows are large and fixed. The wine shop will occupy the northern part of the ground floor. Restaurant and bar are the remainder of the building.
“Fiber cement panel is the primary facade material. There are louvers at the bottom of the building as a flood mitigation measure required by CAFRA. Since the TRC the architect has chosen to carry the louver design throughout part of the façade and is proposing louvers on the upper stories as a design element,” the TRC report continued, in part.
The facade fronting Second Avenue matches the southern Kingsley facade. The facade facing Third Avenue carries the design around the corner. The rest of the facade is more utilitarian and has a service entrance. The Western facade (which faces a nearby residential complex) faces the parking lot of a residential building, but will be visible. It is fiber cement panel with small windows scattered throughout the facade. Space for a mural was added to the west side of the building for a small portion of the wall,” the TRC report said.
The building has been raised 4 feet from street level to meet CAFRA requirements. Landscaping will be compliant with the Waterfront Redevelopment Plan and contain some native species, the TRC reported. And the committee made many other comments about windows and signage for the proposal that you can read in full on the city website on Page 6 of the council agenda packet on the city website.
The developer, in documents to the council, explained many other adjustments to meet CAFRA requirements and to aid in accessibility to the site. Also, refuse doors on the west side of the building have been moved, the documents said. “To limit disturbance to the residents to the west of the building, the doors to the refuse room have been removed. Refuse will be removed via the service corridor to the northside door.” A private hauler would be used.
