Program To Fill Vacant Storefronts Renewed In Brick

BRICK, NJ — Small businesses looking to open a storefront in Brick Township will be eligible for a fee waivers again after the Township Council approved an extension of the waiver program on Tuesday night.

The unanimous approval of the ordinance extended the Storefront Revitalization Program that was launched in 2015 as a way to encourage businesses to fill vacant storefronts in Brick instead of clearing property to build something new.

The program allows the town to waive fees for a small business that chooses to renovate a vacate commercial property that has been empty for at least the previous 12 months and that is smaller than 5,000 square feet. The space cannot have any outstanding property taxes or outstanding property maintenance violations. Uniform Construction Code Surcharge fees are not eligible to be waived.

The council moved forward with the renewal in spite of the request of Charlie Bacon, a business owner and member of the township's Republican Club, to hold off on the renewal until the new year, when Republicans Lisa Reina and Gregory Cohen are sworn in as new members of the council. They will join Republican Perry Albanese and Democrats Derrick Ambrosino, Vince Minichino, Melissa Travers and Steve Fineman on the dais.

Democrat Lisa Crate will be sworn in to her first full term as mayor when Reina and Cohen join the council.

Bacon urged the council to consider creating a committee and gather data to show whether the program has been effective in filling vacant commercial properties, and to ask business owners what they believe Brick needs to do to attract more businesses.

Council members did not respond to Bacon's request.

During the 2023 renewal, Crate said the ordinance had resulted in 30 storefronts being filled.