Re: Browns Point Marina Area Pre-development Activity 

A presentation by associates of developer Clay Pearlman regarding plans to redevelop the Browns Point Marina site was made at the 3/7/06 Keyport Borough Council meeting. The site consists of the Browns Point Marina (BPM) and the Endeavor House.  The developer wants to develop a "true mixed-use" project featuring condos and a small marina. They stated that they need sufficient condo density to fund their marina upgrades. An 8/25/06  report by the Borough planner, Paul Ricci, to Mayor Bergen indicates the developer proposes to construct a 92-unit mid-rise apartment building consisting of four floors of residential space above a ground floor parking level  (for 184 spaces) and a n ~ 7000 ft. sq. marina with boat slips. The five story high building would be at the end of Broadway and Washington Street at the mouth of Matawan Creek. At the 3/7/06 Keyport Borough Council (KBC) meeting, Mayor Bergen committed to have the Borough professionals and the Redevelopment Committee work with the developer who would fund the work of the Borough professionals  through an escrow account.

Presently, almost the whole BPM site is designated as a PA5 environmentally sensitive area on the NJ State Planning Map, greatly limiting its development potential. T&M Associates, the Borough engineering firm, prepared a map dated 3/29/07 and titled "Proposed Planning Area Changes" which redefines 5.5 acres of this site as PA1 urban area, allowing high-density development at the mouth of Matawan Creek. Since then  Borough officials have promoted this change from PA5 to PA1 at the County and State planning levels. When questioned at a recent KBC meeting about this work in support of the BPM developer, Mayor Bergen indicated these Borough expenses for Borough professionals had not yet been billed but they would be recovered from the developer in the future.

On Aug. 20, 2007 FRP Properties, LLC, Clay Pearlman, notified residents within 200 feet of the BPM site that they had filed an "application to establish the boundary of freshwater wetlands on this site" with the NJDEP. The application is supported by an 8/22/07 map prepared by Maser Consulting. This map appears to document a major reduction in the wetland area (since the 1970 survey) at the site. The application is also supported by a "Wetland Delineation Report" prepared by Maser Consulting. This report fails to document the high-density condo project proposed for this site, the fact that the site ids designated PA5, and the irreplaceable location of the BFM site for tidal estuary migration and retention at the mouth of Matawan Creek. The notification indicates that comments concerning this application must be in writing to the NJDEP with a copy of the notice attached to the comments.

To review and/or get a copy of any of this material give me a call at 732 264 5438.

Re: 9/17/07 Brownfields Development Area Meeting

The Borough has scheduled a meeting of the Brownfields Development Area (BDA) steering committee meeting for Monday at 6:30 PM at Borough Hall to discuss the progress and next steps of the BDA initiative for the Borough, and any other business relating to the steering committee. As this is a BDA steering committee meeting, public participation by non-steering committee members will be limited to that permitted by the BDA chairperson, Lynne Kosobucki.