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A new, nearly 10,000 square foot building proposed for the corner of Main Street and Fourth Avenues received preliminary approvals from the city’s planning board Monday, and final approvals largely hinge on a parking waiver that will have to be decided by the Asbury Park City Council.

The vote was 5-2. Planning Board members Mayor Myra Campbell, Councilman John Moor, Garret Giberson, Sara Ann Towery and board chairman Herb Fehrenbach voted yes. Board members Robert Feinstein and Seresa Grillo voted no.

Asbury Park developer Pat Fasano owns the property located at 1183 Main St. The land formerly housed a Getty service station, but only the service station building remains on the site. The storage tanks have been removed and Getty monitors the site, according to Eric Tomchak, the project’s structural engineer.

Fasano’s team presented plans for a brick and stucco single story retail center to be built on the site.

Variances were granted for a rear yard setback and no on-site loading. The required parking waiver still needed from the council is a little more complicated.

Based on the square footage of the building, owners are required to provide at least 19 parking spaces. The size of the proposed building leaves no space for on-site parking. Fasano does not want to reduce the size of the building because 10,000 square feet seems to be the “magic number” for retailers he has spoken with, he said. Currently, there are 7 parallel spaces next to the site, 4 on Main Street and 3 on Fourth Avenue.

The parking waiver would authorize 9 to ten perpendicular spaces along Fourth Avenue. If the waiver is granted, 14- to 16-feet of the curb on Fourth Avenue will be cut to allow for additional space for the perpendicular spaces. Even with the additional spaces, the project falls anywhere from 5 to 7 spaces short.

Curb cuts and reconfiguration of the roadway on Fourth Avenue is a policy call that must be decided by the mayor and council, according to Don Sammett, the city’s director of planning and redevelopment.

“We’re a growing community,” said board member Feinstein, before voting no on the preliminary approvals. “Constantly giving away this parking is going to come back to constantly kick us in the ass.”

The Preliminary approvals are also contingent upon the applicant’s satisfaction of a list of other requirements, such as NJDOT approvals of curb cuts along Main Street, signage and lighting plans and a revised landscaping plan.

A lease has not been signed on the proposed space as of yet, but Fasano said he would like to see a Whole Foods market or a store similar to a Dean’s Natural Foods market in the location.

There is also a possibility of a “five and dime-type of store or dollar tree” at the location, according to Tomchak. Additionally, if a single tenant for the space cannot be found, the site may be split into compartments to accommodate multiple retailers, he said.

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