The first phase of construction for a recording studio at 625 Bangs Ave. was approved by the planning board at its Feb. 25 meeting.
Jack Daley, owner of the property at the corner of Bangs Avenue and Bond Street, is a professional musician and producer. His wife, Thea, is a licensed yoga instructor. They plan to open a yoga studio in the building as well.
Currently, a one-story building sits at 625 Bangs Ave. For the first phase of construction, it will be renovated to make room for the yoga studio and the recording studio.
The second phase of construction consists of adding three floors of residential units to the building. Daley will pay into the city’s parking fund instead of adding the requisite 1.5 spaces per unit, he said.
Construction will likely take two years, Daley said.
Plans for the residential units included balconies which would hang over the public right-of-way. The planning board requested that the balconies be pushed back into the building so that they do not extend over the sidewalk.
The building [rendering pictured above] is in a contemporary art deco style, said architect James J. Monteforte. One two-bedroom apartment and one one-bedroom apartment will be built into the lower two residential floors. The top floor will house a three-bedroom apartment. The roof will be designed as a deck for recreational use.
Some planning board members took issue with designs resembling large music notes planned for the Bangs Avenue side. Daley agreed to remove those designs.
The recording studio on the first floor will be completely sound-proofed, with no sound coming in or going out, Daley said. Daley’s associate, Larry Swift, is assisting with the design of the studio. Swift is “an expert on sound isolation,” Daley said. “The success of the entire idea depends on it being sound-proof.”
The city is supportive of bringing a recording studio into the central business district, city redevelopment director Don Sammet said. The city council last year approved an amendment to the central business district redevelopment plan to allow the studio.
“This project is in line with the city’s master plan and various other economic development plans in the city,” Sammet said. “It’s promoting music and the arts in Asbury Park.”
