Planner Makes Case for Hotel Project

The debate over a developer’s proposal to build a Hampton Inn and Suites on an acre of riverfront property in Red Bank has focused more on a , disputes over what constitutes , and concerns over rather than the actual plan itself, it seems.

At Monday’s meeting, prior to a lengthy cross examination hinging on the difference between a view of the Navesink River and a filtered view of the Navesink River, a planner for builder RBank Capital LLC gave the reasons why he, in a professional capacity, thinks the 76-room hotel is a good fit for a piece of land that’s currently a polluted former gas station site.

Roy DeBoer, a planner based in Monroe Township, rattled off a list of reasons why the hotel project, based on borough ordinances, riverfront development, and master plans past and present, he said, is a right fit for Red Bank.

Much of the benefit of the hotel, he said, is in the conversion of the abandoned gas station into a viable ratable for the city. The site, which had been home to a gas station for decade, has held little more than a boarded up gas station and polluted land for the past decade. Not only would the construction of a hotel ensure that the site could not be used for a gas station again, but it helps eliminate a blighted building with one that will draw revenue for the borough.

According to previous projections, Hampton Inns and Suites usually average occupancy rates of more than 70 percent, though developer Larry Cohen believes the Red Bank location can operate at around 80 percent. With a 3 percent occupancy tax applied to rented rooms, Cohen said Red Bank can expect to earn about $75,000 a year in occupancy taxes alone.

DeBoer, like the rest of the developer’s professional staff, also emphasized the creation of open space along with public access. According to a riverfront development plan, DeBoer said Red Bank has long envisioned a contiguous river walk along the Navesink. RBank Capital plans on making bulkhead improvements before building a boardwalk, which will then be turned over to the borough. Currently, the area along the river is nearly inaccessible and mostly covered with trash.

Though the positives of the project are evident, the concerns associated with the project have dominated discussion. The parcel of land is triangular in shape and just over an acre in size. Because of the site’s relatively small size, the developer needs nearly 20 variances just to make it fit.

There are also serious concerns over contaminants that still remain in the ground and the impact of traffic at an already heavily traveled intersection.

The plan comes back before the Planning Board on Dec. 19.