Plans for Westside Market in Red Bank Zoning Limbo

Successful Red Bank businessman and property owner Juan Torres wants to open a market on the west side of town. He envisions a place that caters to the neighborhood population, a place that is easily accessible by foot or bicycle. It would offer fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and cheese; a humble bodega of sorts, only on a much larger scale.

If only it were that easy.

Plans for converting a now-vacant antique store on Shrewsbury Avenue into a market are pending the approval of several variances, some of them significant and others not so much, from the borough’s zoning board. The process began at the board’s meeting Thursday night and will require at least one more before any decision on the matter is made.

Torres, the owner of Juanito’s restaurant and bakery, both on Monmouth Street, as well as a El Guero market and a warehouse in Red Bank, purchased the empty antique store with its more than 5,000-square-foot floor in June. Almost immediately he set out about trying to convert the store, which, according to public records has only served as a furniture or antique store since it was rebuilt following a fire in the 1980’s, into a market.

Red Bank Michael Monroe, who provided testimony Thursday and whose cross-examination eventually concluded the meeting, said the store would sell fruits, vegetables, meat and cheese, as well as some prepared food. The building would also have a second flood office and a basement for storage.

“We feel there is a real good niche in this neighborhood for this kind of use,” Monroe said.

There are several issues requiring variances before construction on the new market can star include, firstly, turning the store into a retail food establishment, and allowing off-site delivery. The largest issue, the one that occupied most of Thursday’s meeting, however, was parking.

Though Torres’ application hinges on the idea of attracting a customer base comprised, largely, of residents who will walk to the market, the store is woefully short on parking spaces. The size market Torres plans on building requires 31 spaces but currently only has 17. There’s little room for adding any more.

Monroe disputed the need for additional spots, saying even employees won’t be allowed to drive to work.

“We go from an antique store where nearly everyone drove to it, to a use where everybody will be walking to it,” he said.

Still, the concern remains. There are also worries about people who do walk to the market. Shrewsbury Avenue often has heavy traffic and there are no pedestrian walkways in the area of the proposed market creating a potentially dangerous scenario for walkers.

The zoning board isn’t the only hurdle for Torres. A representative for a local grocery – a potential competitor for the new market – filed an opposition to the project Thursday night. He will be called to testify at the board’s August meeting.