Pier Village - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Pier Village is a Victorian-inspired mixed-use community located in Long Branch, New Jersey

Long Branch, New Jersey

Long Branch is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 30,719.Long Branch was formed on April 11, 1867, as the Long Branch Commission, from portions of Ocean Township...

along the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. It opened in 2005.

History

The land that Pier Village now sits on was originally that of the Long Branch Pier

Long Branch Pier

The Long Branch Pier was a pier located at 65 Ocean Ave, in Long Branch, New Jersey, United States.- History :The pier was popular among fishermen and club goers who enjoyed late nights at "The Pier Pub" night club...

and the Kid's World

Kid's World (Amusement Park)

Kid's World was an amusement park along the boardwalk on Ocean Avenue in Long Branch, New Jersey.-History:In 1985, six years after developers Pat Cicalese and his business partner Carmen Ricci purchased the Long Branch Pier across the street that they had been leasing since the year prior to the...

amusement park.

On June 8, 1987, at around 3 PM, a fire broke out underneath the boardwalk in an electrical and gas box at the end of the pier. The fire quickly spread throughout the pier despite efforts by the Long Branch Fire Department to save it. After the fire only the water attractions across the street from the pier remained. In the following weeks business had slowed down so the remaining portion of Kid's World closed down permanently at the end of the summer.

The owner, Pat Cicalese, planned on rebuilding the pier. However, his insurance did not cover the cost to rebuild what was destroyed and the town would not fund the project so the plans were abandoned. What was left of Kid's World remained abandoned for 17 years after the fire.

Remains of the pier were demolished in the late 1990s. The rest of Kid's World across the street met the wrecking ball in 2002.

Applied Development Company, a Hoboken, NJ-based developer led by brothers David Barry and Michael Barry, was designated the developer of the 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) site by the City of Long Branch and soon began construction of Pier Village, starting with the rebuilding of the boardwalk.

Features

Pier Village consists of 536 rental residences sitting atop more than 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) of retail space. A public grassy area called Festival Plaza is the site of regular events, including concerts, arts & crafts fairs, outdoor movies and holiday events. The first story of the buildings is filled with shops and restaurants, while the upper floors are filled with ocean-view Apartments. There's surface parking and two enclosed parking garages.

The tenants are mostly local businesses, most from Monmouth County

Monmouth County, New Jersey

Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...

, but there are national brands, such as Stewart's Root Beer

Stewart's Drive-In

Stewart's Restaurants are classic 1950s style fast-food restaurants located throughout the United States. Restaurants are branded as Stewart's Root Beer or Stewart's Drive-In or similar variations. Started in 1924 in Mansfield, Ohio by Frank Stewart, the chain became a franchise in 1931. Stewart's...

and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is an international franchisor, confectionery manufacturer and retail operator in the United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. The Company is based in the town of Durango located on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado...

.

There are three restaurants situated on the boardwalk facing the ocean: Avenue, Sirena and McLoones. Also located in Pier Village is The Wine Loft a high end Wine Bar and "The sexiest Place in Town." The developers David Barry and Michael Barry, along with partners, opened up a members-only beach club called Le Club. Designed by London-based architect David Collins, who also designed London’s Nobu Berkeley Street restaurant and the famed Blue Bar, Le Club is a 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²) resort featuring a modern tri-level building with a rooftop pool and sun deck offering views of the ocean and a private beach area with palm trees and cabanas. Travel & Leisure Magazine named it one of “20 Great American Beaches" in its July, 2007 issue http://www.travelandleisure.com/specialfeatures/great-american-beaches/swimming-spots.cfm, and New York Magazine profiled it in its annual Summer issue http://nymag.com/listings/attraction/long-branch.
Included in Pier Village is Sneaker Factory Running Center, New Jersey's oldest specialty running store. Sneaker Factory originally opened in 1978 in Millburn, NJ, and specializes in gait analysis and fitting customers for proper running footwear and apparel.

Criticism

The primary criticism of Pier Village was that Eminent Domain

Eminent domain

Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...

was abused to secure the land for development. Many argued that the homes seized were not "blighted" as the developer claimed. Residents were removed from their homes so that new homes could be constructed, which falls outside of the legal bounds of Eminent Domain, which states land can only be seized for public use.

The New York Times reported: "Either way, the fight has become a public-relations disaster for the city as it tries to reclaim its glory days, when seven United States presidents vacationed here and New York's business barons traveled by stagecoach to fill the gambling halls. The 30 or so holdout homeowners have planted signs saying NOT For Sale in their sandy yards, and they have filled the windows of their pastel bungalows with posters declaring Eminent Domain Abuse, signed petitions, shouted at public meetings and written vitriolic letters to the local newspaper questioning the mayor's and the City Council's motives."

In 2010, the state ruled that the downtown area was not blighted, and thus could not be seized by Eminent Domain to be redeveloped.

Awards

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) named Pier Village “Project of the Year” in 2006 http://nnj.uli.org/News/Press%20Releases/Archives/Press%2014.aspx.

New Jersey Governor’s Tourism Award in 2009 http://www.state.nj.us/state/secretary/center/news/approved/090406_b.html

New pier

In 2005, plans for a new pier were unveiled.

The new plans would include:

A ferry terminal
An area for fishing
A 30000 sq ft (2,787.1 m²). area for exhibitions that would include a restaurant
A beach-side stage
An amphitheater
A 3,500 to 5000 sq ft (464.5 m²). area offshore that will be used for oceanographic and marine science educational classes

Hotel addition

Part of the Phase II expansion is Bungalow, a 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²), 24-room boutique hotel with views of the ocean that is scheduled to open in May, 2009. Bungalow is much more modern than the original Victorian-styled buildings and sits at the entrance of Pier Village at the corner of Ocean Blvd. and Laird Street.

Pier Village Phase III

Applied Development Company is seeking approvals from the City for a third and final phase at Pier Village that will consist of a 100-room hotel, 200 rental residences, 75 condominium homes, 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) of retail space and a new oceanfront public park.

In popular culture

In a March 2008 episode of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

hidden-camera show, Primetime: What Would You Do?
Primetime: What Would You Do?
Primetime: What Would You Do?, more commonly known and referred to as What Would You Do?, an American television newsmagazine broadcast on ABC since 2008 as part of the Primetime series. The show is about setting up everyday scenarios that reflect on how people react, why they react, and when they...

, which has actors do abnormal things (such get into verbal fights, rob stores, etc.), showed an actor, who was significantly overweight, sitting on a bench in Pier Village while three other actors verbally insulted her.http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/WhatWouldYouDo/Story?id=4498140&page=1

Developer

Pier Village is being developed by David Barry and Michael Barry, principals of Applied Development Company. The brothers are also principals of Ironstate Development. Other notable projects from them include:

The W Hoboken Hotel & Residences, a new 26 story hotel offering 225 rooms and 40 condominium residences on the Hudson Riverfront in Hoboken, NJ facing mid-town Manhattan. The hotel is scheduled to open February, 2009;
Port Liberte a 1,290-unit master-planned community in Jersey City, NJ. 804 homes have been built to date;
50 Columbus, a 35-story building offering 400 rental units, 950-car parking garage and 25000 square feet (2,322.6 m²) of retail space in Jersey City, NJ;
W Marrakech Hotel & Residences: a future hotel in Morocco, North Africa. The hotel will offer 150 hotel rooms and 50 whole-ownership villa units. The property is scheduled to open in mid 2010. W Marrakech Hotel & Residences will be a core element of the Al Maaden Resort development and will overlook an 18-hole championship golf course.
Harrison Commons, a New Urbanist Master Planned community featuring more than 2,600 residences and 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) of retail space in Harrison, NJ adjacent to the PATH Station. Sitework is underway.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.