Connecting Community Corridors a Local Demonstration Project
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CONNECTING COMMUNITY CORRIDORS: CONNECTING PEOPLE, PLACES, Monmouth County AND POTENTIAL. Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Neptune Township A LOCAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 2 Connecting Community Corridors – Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Neptune Township Project Partners and Project Team Project Partners: Project Contributors: Together North Jersey Monmouth County Arts Council Red Bank, NJ New Jersey Transit Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce Asbury Park, NJ Monmouth County Bradley Beach Chamber of Commerce Bradley Beach, NJ City of Asbury Park ArtsCAP Asbury Park, NJ Borough of Bradley Beach Brookdale Network Lincroft, NJ Neptune Township Michaels Development Trenton, NJ Interfaith Neighbors Project Team: LRK Inc. Princeton, NJ Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. Newark, NJ 4ward Planning Philadelphia, PA TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 PHASE 1A: WHERE ARE WE NOW? 7 PHASE 1B: WHERE ARE WE HEADED? 25 PHASE 2: WHERE ARE WE GOING? 39 PHASE 3: HOW DO WE GET THERE? 73 APPENDICES 83 4 Connecting Community Corridors – Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Neptune Township Executive Summary 11/2/2 MMileile require working with stakeholders to establish key RRt.t. 666 - Asbury Avenue RRadiusadius 6 - Asbu Project Description ry Av priorities as a focus for this plan that will generate en e u v e i r t D e This highly focused “strategic plan” encompasses l e specific implementable outcomes. The plan a r i t r S o n m i several regional transportation corridors shared a evolved out of feedback from key stakeholder e MMemorial Drive MMain Street by Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, and Neptune groups, including arts and businesses in the Study K AR OOpportunitypportunity NNJTJT Y P UR Township: North Jersey Coast Line with stations in AAsburysbury PParkark SB IP Area and from a series of public open-house SSiteite ##11 F A SH O N ITY OW CCITY OF ASBURYE T PARK Asbury Park and Bradley Beach; the parallel Main UN workshops held in each of the communities. SSpringwoodpringwood Avenue PT Avenue NNEPTUNEE TOWNSHIP K P I R A Street-Memorial Drive north-south dual system; H P OOCEANCEAN S Y N GGROVEROVE R W MMaina Avenue key east-west gateway corridors to the beach U in Av O B enu T e S A Project Themes E F N U e communities; and Springwood Avenue with select O l T i Y The planning process engaged stakeholders in P t M s T E e I 2 iu e NNEPTUNE TOWNSHIP CITY OF ASBURY PARK CCITY OF ASBURY r / d opportunity sites in these corridors. This effort is t 11/2 Milea S RRadius e n establishing key priorities and goals. Out of the i v i r a D MMain Street a working partnership between the Monmouth NNEPTUNE TOWNSHIP l EPT a U goals and feedback, the plan was organized i NE r TO o BBOROUGHO W OFN R SH County, the City of Asbury Park, Borough of m BBRADLEYR O BEACH IP e A UG DL H MMemorial Drive E O Y B F around several Vision Themes: EA Bradley Beach, Neptune Township, Interfaith CH OOpportunitypportunity Neighbors, and Together North Jersey. SSiteite ##22 66thth AAvenue venue e l s • Arts & Culture Branding & Themes i u i NNJTJT M d AATLANTICTLANTIC 2 BBradleyradley BBeacheach a / OOCEANCEAN RRadius E 11/2 Mile This plan recognizes that a significant amount • Transit-Oriented Infill & Adaptive Reuse s F e N H l u i U O C i T A d M P H E a E of prior planning efforts have already been G B 2 Radius R N • Enhanced Shuttle Services / U Y F 1/2 Mile 1/2 1 E O L O R D completed and therefore, there is no need to start Y O A T BBOROUGH OF I R BBRADLEY BEACH • Traffic Calming & Pedestrian /Bike Improvements CCITY OF NEPTUNE with a “blank slate”, but rather to build upon e v i r D • Business Improvement & Main Street Program l a past planning efforts as a foundation for this i r o 0 200 400 800 ft m plan. However, the broad range of past plans e • Urban Agriculture & Sustainable Infrastructure MMemorial Drive Study Area includes 10 min. walk (1/2 mile) around Asbury Park and Bradley Beach NJT stations. Improved public spaces and physical east-west Connecting Community Corridors builds upon Strategies include transit-oriented infi ll and adaptive connections will help provide neighborhood synergies between the arts, business, and community reuse to revitalize station areas. amenities for residents and vistors alike. events. Executive Summary 5 Gateway to Springwood, Cookman, & Ocean storefront or developed as a new building, should calming improvements to Memorial Drive can Grove be small-scaled able to incubate small proprietor provide better and safer east-west connection The concept plan for the area surrounding the businesses. throughout the Study Area. Asbury Park Transit Center seeks to connect to the activity and revitalization of Cookman Avenue Economic Development and Urban Agriculture to the Springwood Avenue Corridor and other Enhanced Shuttle Service The plan seeks to increase access to opportunities parts of the west side. An improved station area Through this project’s outreach efforts, the by connecting beyond the Study Area, but also with pedestrian enhancements will also create communities have expressed an interest in creating improved employment and business an inviting gateway to Ocean Grove for those extending beyond the summer peak season opportunities within the communities. Strategies coming and going via transit. to year-round and full-week service. The car-free lifestyle that the shuttles provide is for economic development discussed in this effort included developing strategies to coordinate Reconnecting Bradley Beach and Bradley Park currently seasonal. In addition, expanded stronger synergy between the complementary Both Neptune Township and Bradley Beach shuttle frequency and route expansion to the “market position” of all three communities, have studied transit-oriented infill in with their west will to capture residential travel needs to strengthening workforce development respective municipal boundaries. Memorial markets, schools and jobs west of the tracks. The programming with a focus on Grow Monmouth’s Drive and the North Jersey Coast Line, as is communities also expressed a need to improve strategy and working with Interfaith’s programs. the case in other parts of the Study Area, act as visibility of the shuttle service, to provide easier Strategies also include introducing urban farming significant east-west barriers. The concept plan connectivity between the shuttles and other and expanding on Asbury Park’s community treats the station as the center of a larger mixed modes, and to add “permanence” to the shuttle gardens on Interfaith’s parcels and other use, walkable district spanning both sides of the operation through the use of signage and defined properties in the Study Area. tracks, reconnecting Bradley Park in Neptune with station areas with shelters. Overall, more transit Bradley Beach. options would help reduce, mitigate and manage the demand for parking throughout the study Implementation One of the earlier phases of implementation area, which becomes extreme during the summer In order to make the improvements in the involves working with willing property owners season. Connecting Community Corridors plan, the and businesses on Main Street in Bradley three communities will need to take a series of Beach to identify key locations for higher- Traffi c Calming and Pedestrian /Bike short and long-term actions. A Planning and value infill reinvestment. Prospective future Improvements Implementation Agenda is included to indicate development along Memorial Drive will need Pedestrian activity in the study area, especially in these actions developed during the evolution to complement/reflect the existing scale and the summer months, is fairly robust and there is of this and other planning initiatives over the nature of development along Memorial Drive, interest from the community to encourage more last several years. The agenda recognizes that so as not to undermine the viability of existing pedestrian activity and make it safer, particularly successful implementation of plans requires uses. New investments in retail and service along Main Street to help encourage the strong local support and action, as well as businesses, whether occupying an existing patronage of local businesses. Similarly, traffic assistance from Monmouth County and the State of New Jersey. Where Are We Now? 7 PHASE 1A: WHERE ARE WE NOW? 8 Connecting Community Corridors – Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Neptune Township Introduction The Connecting Community Corridors BBOROUGHOROUGH OFOF IINTERLAKENNTERLAKEN project focuses on a series of interconnecting transportation corridors shared by three adjacent municipalities (Neptune Township, Bradley IP SH WN K TO AR N Y P Beach and Asbury Park) who have agreed to EA UR OOCEANC TOWNSHIPSB F A O TY OOCEAN TOWNSHIP CCITYI OF ASBURY PARK collaborate along with Monmouth County and CEA N TO WN NNEPTUNEEP TOWNSHIPSHI TUN P E TO several other non-governmental organization WN SHI (NGO) stakeholders. People who use and P 11/2/2 MMileile traverse these corridors - whether on foot, bicycle, RRt.t 66 - Asbury Avenue . 66 RRadiusadius - Asb ury transit or automobile –experience the corridors as Aven P ue I H K S R e A v interconnected “linear places”. N i P r W t Y D O R e T l U e r E B a i t S N r S A U o T F n i P m O E The regional approach being taken to study these e a Y NNEPTUNE TOWNSHIP T MMemorial Drive MMain Street I corridors is unique because it is focused on a PARK CCITY OF ASBURY compact, shared study area that spans municipal OOpportunitypportunity NNJTJT AAsburysbury PParkark K AR boundary lines. However, the proximity, Y P SSiteite ##11 R e l U s LLakeake AAvenueven SB IP i ue A H u S i F N M O d TY OW 2 interrelationship and function of these corridors CCITYI OF ASBURY T PARK a E / N RRadius SSpringwoodprin Avenue TU 11/2 Mile gwood Aven EP impacts and relates to all three municipalities, ue NNEPTUNE TOWNSHIP thus making this collaborative approach the MMaina Avenue in Av most logical and rational way to create an enue OOCEANCEAN implementable plan.