One of the Jersey Shore’s hottest revitalization spots, Asbury Park, has green lit a new project that will not only create significant new affordable housing but also add several new community spaces.
Asbury Park’s planning board recently approved a plan to redevelop a block formerly home to an auto mechanic at 1012 Asbury Avenue. The mostly vacant lot is just a short walk to the city’s train station and is owned by Sackman Enterprises, who have several other projects in the works around the oceanside city.
Designed by Inglese Architecture + Engineering, the five -story building set to rise at the site includes a total of 101 residential units, the majority of which will be set aside as affordable housing.
While the city’s 1012 Asbury Avenue Redevelopment Plan requires 40% of the development’s units to be designated as affordable, the approved plan goes beyond that baseline and will set aside 55% of its housing for those with lower incomes.
55 of the residential units at the rental project will be affordable mixed in with 46 market-rate apartments. The units will break down as 10 studios, 27 one-bedrooms, 49 two-bedrooms, and 15 three-bedroom residences. Many of the living spaces will include a den and penthouse units at the complex will have a roof terrace.
A garage to be entered on Langford and Comstock Streets with 101 parking spaces for cars and 30 spots for bikes will be featured on the ground floor, as will 8,300 square feet of “community facility space.”
The 11 total storefronts will be broken up into about 760 square foot spaces and designed with storefront windows and an entrance door that opens to a front porch space along Asbury Avenue.
Other perks at the community include an 1,160 square foot amenity room. The project will add more public art to Asbury Park’s landscape, as Sackman is required to include a mural on the west elevation fronting Comstock Street to be approved at a later date by the city’s Public Art Commission.
The development was granted relief by the planning board from design standards related to lighting, off-street parking, mechanical screening, and street trees. A groundbreaking date for the project has not been announced.
News of the approval comes at a time when Asbury Park’s development scene has reached new heights, prompting a new round of concerns about keeping the city affordable for longtime residents.
