By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
If a new proposal by Sackman Enterprises is approved downtown Asbury Park could be the site of the first Urban Farm in the area.
In an informal proposal at this week’s City Council workshop session attorney Andrew Karas, outlined the main points of the project at 605 Cookman Avenue that will include 586 parking spaces, 97 new apartments and most unique of all a vertical urban farm in the form of hothouses constructed on the facade of the 180-foot-high building.
A variance would be needed due to the proposed height which is almost double what the ordinance allows at 96 feet.
The project also includes a supermarket on site, which will sell the produce grown in the vertical farm.
Karas called it “An environmental state of the art vertical farm and garden. It will be a very unique building.”
The greenhouses will be watered by computer controlled automation.
Architect Jim Garrison presented renderings of the proposed buildings.