---

The broken concrete that occupied the space between Stella Marina and the old carousel building is being transformed into a waterfront plaza for use until the time comes when the Casino area is redeveloped.

The site is part of the area being redeveloped by boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette under the waterfront redevelopment plan, although waterfront redeveloper iStar Financial is doing the work.

“We approached Madison Marquette and were given the go-ahead to work on the area for our summer improvement project,” said Brian Cheripka, vice president of land management for iStar Financial, the majority owner of master waterfront redeveloper Asbury Partners. “This is just our way of improving the space between now and when the casino and the carousel are redeveloped,” he said.

Construction on the improvements began last week, said Cheripka. He expects the project to be finished “within the next few weeks.”

The plaza is “just a public improvement. It will have sitting walls, a large oval in the center and landscaping to the front,” he said.

The landscaping will be consistent with what already exists within the First and Fourth avenue green spaces, according to Cheripka.

Cheripka said the plaza project was put into place to move forward and improve an area that was of no benefit to the community.

“It was a safety hazard, really,” said Cheripka. “This way, we can improve the look and feel of the waterfront.”

————————————————————

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

---