A Recipe for Inconsistency

How to Say “Affordability” and Do the Opposite

Asbury Park talks a big game about affordability, equity, and public engagement—but its development decisions tell a very different story. In a city just one square mile in size—and officially designated as a Transit Village—we should be leading the charge on smart, inclusive planning. Instead, we’ve perfected a system where developers get flexibility, residents get obstacles, and big opportunities are routinely wasted.

Missed Opportunities: Big Projects, Smaller Outcomes

Take 1201 Memorial Drive, where 130 units were approved on a single lot through a site-specific Redevelopment Plan. No neighborhood framework. No housing strategy. No meaningful public benefit. Just density approved by Council vote. Despite my own support for more housing and affordability, the project skipped over thoughtful engagement, traffic impacts, and scale considerations. Neighbors were dismissed.

Meanwhile, the City is quietly dismantling its Waterfront Redevelopment Plan—a long-standing framework intended to accommodate thousands of homes across multiple sites. Instead of building to plan, the City is slashing unit counts and inflating square footage.

At 115 Fourth Avenue, next to the Wonder Bar, Somerset Development was approved for 155 units. The City later reduced that to 112—same footprint, fewer homes, bigger condos. The result? Higher prices and less housing.

Across the street at Sunset Square—a site entitled for much higher density—the City approved just 28 luxury townhomes. Officials claimed taller buildings might cast shadows on the adjacent park. But the site is north of the park—meaning shadows wouldn’t fall on it at all. And the park should’ve been a reason to allow more housing, not less. More neighbors near open space fosters belonging and makes public spaces feel truly public.

The train station—our best chance at transit-oriented development—hasn’t fared better. As a designated Transit Village since 2017, Asbury Park is supposed to be a model for walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods near transit. But instead of leveraging one of the city’s biggest assets to build housing, the City Council is contemplating a parking deck. Compare that with Red Bank, where officials are pursuing hundreds of new apartments, public gathering spaces, and community connectivity around their train station.

And projects that should exemplify thoughtful planning—like the adaptive reuse of Holy Spirit Church—get tangled in delays while less worthy projects cruise through.

Double Standards: What Residents Face

When regular residents try to contribute to housing solutions—say, by adding a backyard apartment—they face a wall of restrictions.

The City’s new Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance almost banned them on existing two-family lots. I helped stop that as a former Planning Board member, but not without facing criticism for suggesting that larger units are also needed in the market. Even now, the ordinance prohibits attached ADUs, forcing residents to build standalone structures with their own utilities—an expensive and unnecessary barrier. It also requires that ADUs match the architectural style of the primary building—adding cost and limiting design flexibility, including the ability to incorporate sustainable features like rooftop solar panels or green roofs. And while developers routinely receive parking waivers, homeowners must provide full off-street parking for even the smallest backyard unit.

What Real Planning Looks Like

We deserve better. We need zoning reform, not zoning workarounds. We need housing policy based on data, not political convenience. We need neighborhood-based planning, not case-by-case exceptions. And we need public engagement that’s honest and early—not an invitation to speak after the deal is done.

Asbury Park is a unique community. But uniqueness requires a solid foundation. Until we commit to consistent, equitable, transparent planning, we’ll keep getting more of the same: a city that’s harder to trust—and harder to call planned.

Eric Galipo
Asbury Park resident