Public weighs in on Boston Way vision plan
'There is nothing a housing authority can't create'
A four-acre plot of land where the now-vacant Boston Way Village Housing Complex stands was the subject of discussion at a forum held in the city Thursday.
The age-old 123-unit complex is slated for demolition in the next six to 12 months, according to Mark Bess, one of the project architects. Members of the local housing authority are now in the planning stages for what will be built to replace it.
The lot is located in the “Gateway zone” of the Springwood Avenue Redevelopment area. With approvals in place for Springwood redeveloper The Michaels Organization to bring a mix of residential townhouse and multi-family units to the area and Interfaith Neighbor’s plan to build a cutting-edge arts building in the same block the area will see major improvements in the years ahead.
“We’re looking for a possible way to bridge the West Side and the East Side,” said Bess. “The vision plan not only focuses on the Boston Way site, but takes into consideration the surrounding neighborhood.”
At the meeting, members of the public — which included residents, housing authority committee members and employees, and city officials — were given information about current uses before being split into groups to answer a questionnaire about the site.
For the most part, residents viewed Springwood Avenue’s past history as a jazz mecca in its own right — situated in between the larger New York and Philadelphia jazz scenes — as its definitive top quality. The potential the area holds for future development, its status as the gateway zone to the city’s southwest quadrant, and close proximity to the city’s transportation center also ranked high.
Lots left vacant after the riots of 1970 and the loss of community identity and pride that followed, dilapidated properties, lack of employment opportunities, high crime rates and the areas perception as a crime-ridden area, no easy access to amenities like laundromats and cafés, and slum landlords were listed as the worst of it.
The public would like to see mixed-income houses and apartments in the area, not just affordable houses, and a healthy balance between commercial and residential properties. In addition, audience members thought places for residents to attend courses that address personal and financial management issues would be a benefit, as would community gardens and bike racks.
Tyrone Garret, executive director of the Long Branch Housing Authority [LBHA], said the agency is working to create something seamless for the area and remains in active discussion with the other developers in the area.
Referencing the Encore District in Tampa, FL., a joint venture between the city’s housing authority and private developers that brought a mixed used, mixed income housing development of 2,030 residential units, commercial retail space, office space, a hotel, supermarket, and Town Center to the city, Garrett stated simply, “there is nothing a housing authority can’t create.”
The LBHA provides oversight to the Asbury Park Housing Authority.
Angeline Brown, chairwoman of the Asbury Park board of commissioners, thought the meeting went well but was displeased that a large amount of the city’s younger residents were not able to attend due to a school administration meeting scheduled at the same time, she said.
“A lot of the younger people were at the [school district forum], and that’s OK, because that is where they needed to be also. Many more people wanted to attend, especially a lot of the parents who have younger kids,” she said.
Mayor-elect John Moor noted many of the groups that were split up came back with a lot of common answers to the questions.
“I was impressed,” he said. “There really is unity in terms of what the city and the citizens want to move forward with.”
Garrett is hopeful the housing authority will be able to attain grant funds to offset project costs from another round of Sandy grant funds lined up for the spring, and said the housing authority’s goal is to try to have a plan in place for March 1.
A second forum is scheduled for Feb. 17.
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