NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
CITY OF ASBURY PARK PLANNING BOARD
COUNTY OF MONMOUTH, STATE OF NEW JERSEY
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Planning Board (the “Board”) of the City of Asbury Park (the “City”) will, on Monday, August 3, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., at City Hall, City Council Chambers, Asbury Park, 1 Municipal Plaza, Asbury Park, NJ 07712, or at such other time and place as the Board may adjourn thereafter, hold a public hearing (the “Hearing”) to consider an application for amended preliminary and final major site plan approval, and such other approval, relief, authorization, or permission as the Board or its consultants may deem necessary (the “Application”), made by Jemal’s National Guard Armory, LLC (the “Applicant”), for the property located at 637 and 701 Lake Avenue and formally identified as Lot 11 in Block 2404 (“Lot 11”) and Lot 1 in Block 2406 (“Lot 1”) on the City’s tax map (collectively, the “Property”). The Property consists of approximately 0.360 acres (Lot 1, Block 2406) and approximately 0.268 acres (Lot 11, Block 2404), respectively, and is located within the City’s Central Business District Mixed-Use Zone (“CBD Zone”).
The Applicant received preliminary and final major site plan approval, together with “bulk” or “c” variance relief and design exceptions from the Board on August 7, 2023, and amended preliminary and final major site plan approval with ancillary variance relief and design exceptions on November 18, 2024, as memorialized by resolutions dated September 18, 2023, and December 16, 2024, respectively (Application # PB-2020-10), to: (A) rehabilitate the former “VFW” building on Lot 1 with a multi-family residential development; (B) rehabilitate the existing parking lot on Lot 11 to include 27 parking spaces, together with two additional parking spaces to be located on Lot 1; and (C) permit associated site improvements ancillary to the proposed uses such as signage, lighting, landscaping, and the like (collectively, the “Approval”).
The Applicant seeks an amendment to the previously approved architectural plans to permit certain as-built and other conditions with respect to Lot 1 of the Property that differ from the architectural plans in connection with the Approvals, which includes: (A) modifications to the previously approved ground level windows on the alley façades of the building to include louver panels; (B) modifications to the building’s Lake Avenue façade to include externally mounted electric utility meters; and (C) the installation of an approximately six foot (6’) high, twenty-four foot (24’) long privacy screen in the front yard on Lake Avenue which is located in front of the electric utility meter panel.
The proposed architectural amendments are permitted within the CBD-Zone, and the Applicant is not proposing any changes to the site plan at this time, as previously approved by the Board. Notwithstanding, the Applicant shall seek such variances, design exceptions, waivers, approvals, authorizations, permissions or such other relief as the Board or its consultants may deem necessary during the course of the Board’s deliberations on this matter without additional public notice, in accordance with the applicable zoning ordinances, City ordinances, and the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law, N.J.S.A. § 40:55D-1, et. seq. (“MLUL”).
A copy of the Application (and supporting documentation) is on file with the Board Secretary in the Board’s Office located at City Hall, 1 Municipal Plaza, Asbury Park, NJ 07712. Members of the public seeking to review the Application should, as soon as possible, contact the Planning Board Secretary to receive the materials by mail or via an exchange site such as drop/pick up box by appointment at a secure, public location, subject to standard fees or charges. Application materials are also available online and can be obtained at: https://www.cityofasburypark.com/240/Planning-Board. For those needing to view paper copies of the application materials, they will be available between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the exception of the legal holidays, at the Planning & Zoning Office located at the City Hall, 1 Municipal Plaza, Asbury Park, NJ 07712. Those having questions regarding the Hearing or the Application may contact the Planning Board Secretary at (732) 502-5724 or via email at Marie.Rodrigues@asburypark.gov.
This Notice is given in accordance with the MLUL. Any interested person may appear in person or through his attorney at the Hearing to be heard on the Application.
Jemal’s National Guard Armory, LLC
By: Steven P. Gouin, Esq.
Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, P.C.
125 Half Mile Road, Suite 300
Red Bank, NJ 07701
Attorney for the Applicant
Dated: July 20, 2026
($85.36)