---

A municipality’s Master Plan is often referred to as a living document because of its continual need to be edited and updated; a measure the City of Asbury Park is currently undertaking by way of a Master Plan Reexamination Report.

But after proposed changes were presented by consulting firm Clarke Caton Hintz of Trenton during a special Planning Board meeting last week, members of the public and Planning Board officials brought to life just how those changes could affect the community by way of a series of comments.

A number of community matriarchs spoke of a lack of jobs and affordable housing options available to young people, particularly those who were born and raised in the community.

“There is no place for a single person of low income to live,” said Rosa Lee McNair [aka Sister Isis]. “I cry inside because my heart breaks for what is going on in this community…I’ve cried and I have begged for jobs to come in here, not only for my black children but for everybody…I am tired. I have been singing this song for a long time and it is time to make a change, not for just one side but for both sides. There is railroad track that comes between us; the wealthy and the poor. It’s time for us to come together to build a town that everybody is proud of…I have tried so hard that my heart is about to pop because it hurts, trying to make a change in this town. I have practiced drums with these kids, I have talked to these kids, I’ve walked the streets with these kids, and I love my children – black, white, blue, purple, [all colors].

Asbury Park is a 1.4 square mile community with a population of 14,945, according to a 2015 U.S Census Report. Of that population 41 percent are black, 32 percent Hispanic, and 24 percent are white. Only 27 percent of the population are listed as married and 32 percent are living below the poverty line. The per capita income is $23,761 and the average home value is $308,600. Only 20 percent of the population are listed as having obtained bachelor’s degrees.

The changes include an expansion of single family home designation in zones that currently allow for town homes, multifamily dwellings and homes with adjacent living units in the southwest and central eastern neighborhoods [see below].

Mayor John Moor, who sits on the Planning Board, was among those who raised concerns about just how the residential zone changes would affect current residents. In commenting on how a homeowner would be affected should their property be razed due to disaster, Moor said he wanted protections in place.

“I would rather protect the people rather than subject them to not being able to rebuild [because a change in zoning],” he said. “Having to go before a board for a use variance is costly, something someone who has suffered a loss due to fire or a natural disaster will most likely not be able to afford.”

In addressing the need to maintain affordable housing for low to moderate income residents, seniors and artists, resident Doug McQueen said it is important to ensure that those who want to stay in Asbury Park can do so. He questioned the reduction of multifamily dwelling to allow for more single family designations.

“Why focus on the single family character in those neighborhoods if there already are some multi family units, why don’t we continue to focus on both, instead of having a master plan with zoning that intends to phase them out,” McQueen said.

And, Helen McCahill suggested nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity could be brought to help develop housing stock. “Wealth building, in the history of our country, has been over ownership of property,” she said.

The proposal also calls for an expansion of the multifamily designation just north of the downtown between Main Street, Asbury, Summerfield, and Grand avenues, eliminating the professional office district that runs along Grand Avenue.

“It seems like if you change that zone to residential that puts a burden on someone who wants to open an office,” Planning Board Chairman Herb Fehrenbach said. “There are some properties, in my opinion, that it would be nice to have as an office.” Fehrenbach also made a plea for single family homes with adjacent or mother in law units.

Another shift would be to rezone the Thurgood Marshall Elementary School borders to a public school district to better reflect the existing use.

The light industrial district, bordered by First and Second avenues and Comstock and Langford streets would become a single family zone, and replacing Asbury Avenues two to four family designation to a retail sales and service commercial zone.

Other public comments included an ask for a tourism board, year round recreation plan for all ages, and more protection of the public rights of way and space.

The proposal included changes to guidelines that regulate the city’s zone designations, including everything from height requirements to removing bars as a permitted use along the Main Street corridor, and designating artist live/work units near nonresidential and mixed use zones like Main Street and Asbury Avenue.

“I want artist housing but not at the expense of pushing anyone out of their neighborhood,” said artist Carrie Ruddick.

The public can email comments through Friday via masterplancomments@cityofasburypark.com.

“We encourage people to send in any comments they have because this is really important,” said Steering Committee Chair Barbara Krzak.

The Steering Committee will then forward all comments to the consulting professionals, who will then present an adjusted report that takes all the public comments into consideration, Krzak said. An updated proposal will be resubmitted to the Planning Board for consideration. 

The Steering Committee consists of Krzak, Councilwoman Yvonne Clayton, Jim Henry, Rick Lambert, Transportation Manager Michael Manzella, Mike Sodano, Sara Anne Towery, and the City’s Director of Planning and Redevelopment Michele Alonso.

Planning Board member Alexis Taylor thanked the professionals for the year and half long work that involved community and stakeholder input.

“You were faced with both getting us up to speed in terms of the uses that are existing and yet not recognized, and that’s a huge task in itself, and also projecting future uses,” she said.

To view the Reexamination Report, click here.

——————————————————————————————

Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.

---