Coaster File Photo
Owners of Holy Spirit Church in Asbury Park propose to use the building as a cultural and artistic space.
By PAT MCDANIEL
The Crossroads at Asbury Park is scheduled to come before the City Council Dec. 11 so developers can update officials on its latest plans, including creative uses for the former Holy Spirit Church.
In a 28-page report, the developers were to present changes in the proposal since it came before the council in February of this year.
The potential redevelopment is at 705 Second Ave. at the corner of Bond Street.
The project has “evolved” since February, but it still calls for the preservation of the church as a cultural and artistic space, the report says. It moved away from a theater use in the church, however, to adding more flexible office space.
Renderings in the report show how the historic interior of the church can be preserved amid its new uses.
And developers seek a “continuation of the public conversation about the church’s future and additional development that can make it possible to save the church building,” it adds.
Although the applicant has Planning Board approval to demolish the church at the corner of Second Avenue and Bond Street and move ahead with plans for six single-family homes, doing so would create a “significant change to the longtime landscape” of the city there, the developers say.
So an alternate plan for a seven-story apartment complex next to the former church building has been broached with the council. The apartment building façade would complement the stone color of the church building.
The plan also includes new estimates for financial figures for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT).
The report also includes a parking assessment report. Apart from 74 on-site spaces created for residents, spaces for the 50-seat café and the artist market space and flexible office spaces would be satisfied by on-street parking, public parking or be used by those who can walk to the site, the report says.
The proposed seven-story building would have 90 apartments (46 one-bedroom, 28 two-bedroom, 16 three-bedroom). It would include the 74 parking spaces, as well as a pool, gym and other amenities for tenants, according to the report.
Of these units, the developer is suggesting ways to create an affordability mix of 18 units that could range from very low income to middle income to affordable apartments. This would represent the 20 percent of affordable units per city goals in areas not in the Waterfront Redevelopment Zone.
Here are some changes since February outlined in the report. You can read the entire report on the city’s website by calling up the agenda packet for Dec. 11:
Reduction of building height from 98 feet to 83 feet at the roof deck.
Removing one floor of parking from the original two-story parking deck.
Remove the pool to the second residential floor with screening.
Increase “income-restricted” units from 15 to 18 units (20 percent of total).
Modify the PILOT request. Developers say in the report that after the project is built and occupied, revenue is estimated at $330,000 to the city, about the same as the approved six-family plan. It calls for a 30-year PILOT.
The former Holy Spirit Church is a more than century-old building that has not been a house of worship since 2021, according to past Coaster articles. JDL Investments purchased the property from the Diocese of Trenton for $1.7 million.
Holy Spirit Parish was formed in 1910 and in 2010 there was a centennial celebration. The church has dozens of soaring stained glass windows.
In late 2020, it was announced by the church that the sale would “allow the parish to pay all its debts and pay for renovations at Our Lady of Carmel Church, Asbury Avenue, which combined with Holy Spirit to form Mother of Mercy Parish in 2014.”
