Red Bank Broadwalk Gets A Boost In Borough Council Action

RED BANK, NJ — A Borough Council ordinance, if adopted, would allow the Broadwalk pedestrian plaza to return each year as a seasonal pedestrian mall.

Ordinance 2023-04 was introduced unanimously by the council at its first regular meeting of the year on Jan. 11.

It would create a chapter called "pedestrian malls," and, among its provisions, it would designate a portion of Broad Street as a seasonal pedestrian mall.

If adopted, this means the Red Bank RiverCenter would not have to come back each year before the council for permission to reopen Broadwalk. It also sets regular dates of operation for the plaza.

This would give RiverCenter, the town's business promoter, the foundation it needs to develop the Broadwalk concept in new ways, its representative said at the meeting. It would also assure businesses and restaurants of the continuity of the concept.

Tom Hanley, events and marketing manager of Red Bank RiverCenter, thanked the council for considering the ordinance, as he spoke on behalf of Executive Director Bob Zuckerman.

Now approaching its fifth year and begun as away to cope with pandemic restrictions on indoor dining, the Broadwalk has become a focal point of summer life in the borough, with music, outdoor eating, kids' events, yoga and lots of people - out of their cars - taking in the scene.

Broadwalk, said Hanley, "is now a warm weather destination." But he said "there's much more we can do."

Hanley said he hopes RiverCenter can offer expanded classes for the public at the Broadwalk and have a vendor market for items not currently available in Red Bank, among other ideas.

And Councilmember Kate Triggiano, in council comments at the end of the meeting, said the Broadwalk "has created a real heart for the community."

The council will have a public hearing and vote on adoption of the ordinance on Jan. 25.

The Broadwalk closes Broad Street between Front Street and White Street to vehicular traffic.

Under the proposed ordinance, the closure would take place from the Monday following the second Sunday in May through Sept. 30. The ordinance noted that closing the area to car traffic would still allow for alternate routes of travel, and would improve safety for visitors during a busy summer tourist season.

The ordinance also would memorialize the 2019 designation of a portion of Emanuel Court as a permanent pedestrian mall, according to the resolution, at a portion of Emanuel Court beginning at West Front Street and extending 84 feet in a southerly direction.

It also calls for Borough Manager James Gant, who began the job in late December, to maintain a Pedestrian Mall Operating Plan for each pedestrian mall designated by the ordinance. The plan would be enforced by the Police Department, Code Enforcement Office and/or Board of Health, and provide for control and regulation of a broad array of needs at the sites.

It also notes that "Any person(s) creating undue amounts of noise, waste, and/or a potentially dangerous or threatening environment for any pedestrian mall patrons will be subject to removal from the pedestrian mall and subject to additional penalties allowed by law, if applicable."

No one may loiter within the pedestrian mall between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., the proposed ordinance states.

And nothing in the ordinance "shall prevent the borough from subsequently abandoning the operation of any pedestrian mall, changing regulations or applicable fees for any costs, or changing or repealing any limitation on the use of a pedestrian mall for any particular purpose," the ordinance reads, in part.

You can see the entire ordinance here, at approximately page 34 of the 58-page agenda.