By Laura D.C. Kolnoski
FORT MONMOUTH – Officials have reached an agreement regarding specifics of a new water tower to be installed by New Jersey American Water (NJAW) on Pinebrook Road in the Eatontown section of Fort Monmouth. The tower project is part of the coming redevelopment of what is known as the “Howard Commons” area, 486 empty units of former U.S. Army housing built in 1953 in deteriorated condition.
According to Sarah Giberson, marketing and development manager of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA), NJAW will demolish existing buildings at Howard Commons to clear the area for construction on the 63-acre site. Previous pending agreements to redevelop the parcel, first with Hovnanian and then American Properties, were withdrawn by those firms.
“We do not have Howard Commons officially under contract at this time, but anticipate bringing a contract to the board in the coming weeks,” Giberson said. Lennar Corporation, the remaining bidder, has been in negotiations with FMERA to purchase the site. She said NJAW requested, “to move quickly on (the water tower) parcel.”
The water tower site sits on four acres in the northeast corner of the property. The plan was sent to the three municipalities the fort spans – Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls – for a 45-day comment period. Only Eatontown submitted comments, expressing concern over the visual aspects, as well as potential signage on the tower, officials said.
Following approval by the Eatontown Planning Board, FMERA unanimously approved that the tower be painted a neutral color like gray or light blue, display no advertising and have visual buffers and screening methods “to mitigate visual impacts to the greatest extent possible.” The water storage tank will be permitted up to 35 feet in height with a 50- foot setback from all sides. The sides facing residential areas must be “densely planted” with evergreens at least 15-feet tall. It cannot be used for telecommunication anten- nas or utility services. Three parking spaces are included.
The overall redevelopment scenario for Howard Commons stipulates the construction of 275 new mixed-income residences aimed at “workforce housing,” meaning for civil servants such as firefighters, police and teachers. Plans also include a convenience/retail facility at Hope and Pinebrook roads.
The fort’s redevelopment master plan envisions Eatontown eventually having a total of 1.96 million square feet of nonresidential space and 577 residential units, potentially including a conference hotel, golf course, municipal complex, an “incubator” tech/business campus and green space.
Lennar has other interests on Fort Monmouth. In the Tinton Falls section, it’s nearing completion of Patriot’s Square – 145 townhomes with outdoor community space and 58,000 square feet of commercial area – and Anthem Place, 45 single-family homes nearby. The company will also pay $18.5 million for the key 73-acre property in Eatontown along Route 35 known as Parcel B. It will invest about $125 million to demolish existing structures and create a lifestyle “town center” with retail, residential, entertainment, restaurants, a pedestrian environment and more.
EATONTOWN DPW MOVING TO FORT
Over the past two years, Oceanport completed the relocation of its municipal complex to new headquarters in renovated Fort Monmouth buildings near the Oceanport Avenue entrance. Nearby, Eatontown is following suit, hoping to move its Department of Public Works into its new home this fall.
In 2016, FMERA approved the borough’s plans to purchase a 7.2-acre tract with five buildings on Echo Avenue for $886,461, a 40 percent price reduction based on allowable “beneficial local use” considerations. Since then, borough officials have requested five extensions of the project’s closing date.
The first was granted to give the U.S. Army time to remediate environmental issues left behind from the site’s 100-year history as a military base. (Under the redevelopment agreement with the state, the Army is responsible for all environmental issues on the 1,126-acre fort.) Subsequent extensions were granted for COVID-19 related delays, Eatontown’s desire to demolish an additional building and, lastly, a need for more time to complete and submit its Mandatory Conceptual Review (MCR) to FMERA.
“All the extensions have good reasons behind them,” said FMERA chairman Robert Lucky. “They have been proceeding with good faith.”
This article was originally published in the May 6-12, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
