Members of the City of Asbury Park planning board recently voted to approve a proposal to redevelop the Tandem Cycle building and adjacent surface parking lot at 216 Cookman Avenue near the city’s boardwalk into a four-story residential complex.
The board voted to approve a site plan from APW Redeveloper LLC that calls for 27 one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences and amenities during its regular meeting on August 17. Professionals representing APW Redeveloper submitted testimony on the plan, noting that APW has intended to redevelop the site since 2022.
Conrad Roncati, the CEO of Fort Lee-based architectural firm Architectura, explained that the building was inspired by the Mediterranean Revival style of several buildings in the city that are currently standing or have been torn down over the years.
He said the redevelopment plans call for two one-bedroom units, 10 two-bedroom units, and 15 three-bedroom units atop a single-story parking podium for up to 42 cars. Units will range from 709 to 1,364 square feet, and each unit will include its own terrace.
The L-shaped residential building will sit at the center of the site, fronting Wesley Lake Drive and Cookman Avenue, with a small portion fronting St. James Place. A driveway into the building’s parking garage will be located on the westernmost end of the site on Cookman Avenue, and the parking lot itself will be elevated five feet due to flooding hazards.
A single-story storage building is also planned at the southern end of the site and will be connected to the main residential building via a pedestrian sidewalk. The site plan also calls for a rooftop deck set back from the residential building’s exterior walls.
A staff report the board made public says the building is a duplicate of K. Hovnanian’s ‘Aegean’ building at Second Avenue and Bergh Street.
While members of the board ultimately voted to approve the site plan for the project, Chairwoman Barbara Krzak and Board Member Daniel Sciannameo voluntarily recused themselves before reviewing the application.
Planning board member Jim Henry also abstained from the vote after the three-hour presentation.
Sciannameo, who also voluntarily recused himself from reviewing another application from APW Redeveloper for the adjacent triangular lot earlier this year, said during the meeting that the applicant had threatened to sue the planning board if he did not recuse himself.
Jersey Digs reported in July that Jennifer Phillips Smith, the attorney working on both applications on behalf of APW, submitted a letter to the board about the potential lawsuit after Sciannameo made comments about the applicant and Washington, D.C.-based real estate firm Madison Marquette failing to restore several landmarks along the city’s boardwalk.
Both Sciannameo and Krzak cross-examined Roncati, Robert Curley (the site’s civil engineer), and Kate Keller (the applicant’s professional planner) during the meeting.
No other members of the public submitted questions for the professionals working on APW’s behalf.
Despite his criticism of APW and Madison Marquette, Sciannameo said he had never voted to deny any applications APW submitted to the board during the board’s regular meeting on June 1, when the board voted to approve the adjacent redevelopment at 320 Asbury Avenue.
