Madison Marquette Carousel plans approved in part
Food trucks and retail containers approved; glamping denied
Parts of the temporary plan of Asbury Park boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette to expand on its pop-up venues was approved Wednesday night.
The three part proposal, part of a larger design to introduce activity at the iconic Carousel building near the Ocean Grove border [right], sought to bring retail, food trucks, and glamping [boutique camping] to the area.
Having passed its initial review at the Technical Review Committee, the City Council approval was the next step before the plan advanced to the municipality’s Planning Board.
The governing body approved the use of two 8’x 20’ shipping containers for skateboard-related retail and up to four self-contained traveling mobile retail and/or food trucks or carts to accent the temporary skateboarding bowl inside the historic structure.
The skate bowl will serve as a temporary home for The Asbury Park Skateboarding Foundation until a permanent one can be found for their proposed larger scale skate park.
But the City Council, in a 3 to 2 decision, voted against bringing the boutique camping experience [at right] to the city’s waterfront, saying it did not meet its interpretation of what is outlined in the Waterfront Redevelopment Plan, which governs what is permitted in the area.
“…[It] does not advance the goals and principals of the plan,” the resolution read. “The Boutique Camping Proposal is not granted conceptual approval, shall not be referred to, or considered by the Planning Board and shall not be constructed and/or operated.”
The glamping experience is the brain child of triCityNews editor Jason Thomson, who co-owns Nomad Asbury, a vendor at The Market inside of Convention Hall and High Voltage Cafe along the Asbury Park boardwalk, with partner Sonia Jozajtis. The Asbury Park Sun is owned by triCity News.
Through his Wanderland venture, a curated popup hotel for hire, Thomson and his partners aimed to bring a row of handmade New Zealand tents outfitted with some of the amenities of a hotel to the waterfront experience.
Wanderland is owned by Thomson, Jozajtis, and Andy and Petra Ivanov. Their proposal included a check-in and coffee bar via a vintage trailer, round the clock staff including overnight security, and guest lounge areas.
“Naturally we’re disappointed with the council’s decision,” Thomson said in a written statement. “Kudos to Councilwomen Amy Quinn and Eilleen Chapman for seeing our creative vision. This is a project we’ve been working on for over 2 years and quite frankly Asbury Park is an obvious fit for this kind of venture. It’s a no brainer. This is a city that’s amongst the most happening places on the East Coast and its creative business ideas like this that will keep people excited and interested in coming here. So we’ll go back to the drawing board and try again. We’re not giving up.”
The food trucks and retail shipping containers will need Planning Board approval before they can be added to historic site.
For more information visit www.wanderlandpopup.com.
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