Envisioning a Better Block

Asbury Park

Envisioning a Better Block

Springwood Avenue lined with retail and activity

By Michelle Gladden

Chocolate Sage temporarily moved its headquarters from Main Street to Springwood Avenue Saturday. Following suit were a range of other city venues, including Words! bookstore [in partnership with Bridge of Books Foundation], Purple Glaze donut shop, Conover Realty, The ShowRoom Cinema, Coastal Habitat for Humanity, The Asbury Park Public Library, MOGO Asian Fusion Tacos, and Cuban Cafe.

All set up shop in front of shuttered storefronts to imagine the future of one of the main west side corridors.

There were independent business owners like DevOps Advisors, and social service representation like Family Success Center, and of course the west side located Chamber of Commerce and Interfaith Neighbors.

“This event is part of a nationwide initiative to show what redevelopment and planning can mean for a neighborhood,” Asbury Park Director of Planning and Redevelopment Michele Alonso has said. “It’s a day of collaboration and a chance to show how empty blocks can be transformed into a vibrant neighborhood hub and destination.”

A part of that transformation including the building of a parklet [bench seating meets an array of plantings] and other makeshift seating built from pallets.

While early rain threatened to put a damper on the festivities, by mid afternoon the community came out to enjoy pumpkin painting, yoga in the park, a drum circle, game challenges for kids of all ages, and a bike rodeo sponsored by EZ Ride.

The pièce de résistance was the community street mural art project led by artists Charles Trott and Gregory Brewington, and done in conjunction with the city’s youngest residents. Temporary sharrows were created to envision a bike lane for the corridor and the piano key crosswalks to help slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety. City officials said the artistic crosswalks also celebrate the musical history of the Springwood Avenue corridor.

The initiative is a part of the Asbury Park West Side Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan, currently underway through a partnership Asbury Park Housing Authority, Interfaith Neighbors, and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

The Better Block initiative started in 2010, when a group of community organizers, neighbors, and property owners came together to revitalize a single commercial block in an underused neighborhood corridor, Alonso said. The group brought together all the resources from the community and converted the block into a walkable, bikeable neighborhood destination for people of all ages.