A huge portion of Long Branch's Broadway corridor is being demolished to make way for a planned commercial and residential development.
LONG BRANCH - A few blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, workers are busy reducing the city's once vibrant, but long-dormant downtown to a pile of rubble.
Nearly two dozen of the blighted buildings that have lined the lower portion of Broadway for decades have either already been demolished or are currently in the process of being torn down.
Another 10 buildings between 2nd Avenue and Liberty Street are also scheduled to be razed before the end of June, acting Business Administrator Kevin Hayes said.
In their place, a developer - Long Branch Partners - plans to erect approximately 580 residential units, 95,500-square feet of commercial space and two parking garages in a two-block radius that serves as a gateway to the city's popular beachfront, Hayes said.
Prior to being demolished to make way for a planned commercial and residential development, blighted vacant buildings lined the lower portion of Long Branch's Broadway corridor for decades. (Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) "The buildings in that area have been an eyesore for 45 years," said Mayor Adam Schneider, adding his uncle owned a business in this section of Broadway a half-century ago only to lose it when the area took a turn for the worse.
"We're pleased to see work finally underway there," Schneider said. "And to think about having a lively neighborhood down there again - a place people want to visit, shop in the stores and eat in the restaurants - is very exciting."
When discussions to redevelop the blighted portions of the city began in earnest about 25 years ago, officials intentionally started with the oceanfront expecting progress there to eventually spread across Ocean Boulevard to the Broadway corridor.
Following a protracted eminent domain fight, the Pier Village luxury development opened along Ocean Avenue in 2005 and quickly became a popular year-round destination.
Recently, there have also been host of other significant development projects nearby that are either in the works or already completed, including a luxury high-rise, Phase III of Pier Village, a 13,000-square-foot CVS on corner of South Broadway and Ocean Boulevard and a sustainable beer garden on the corner of Broadway and 2nd Avenue.
But lower Broadway still remained a virtual ghost town.
The city entered into a redevelopment agreement with Broadway Arts Center, LLC. in June 2005, expecting 70 new shops and restaurants, 500 residential units, art galleries and two performing arts theaters to be built along the 72-acre Broadway corridor. The arts center was scheduled to open in 2008, according to promotional materials, but that project stalled when the economy turned.
A series of financial troubles and foreclosures ensued, until the property's new ownership finally resolved the outstanding tax issues last year, Schneider said.
"The only way to work out the tax issues was to pay them," Schneider said. "And now that they have done that, they've started moving forward with their plans and their work appears to be getting done ahead of schedule."
The demolition can be completed once crews are able to remedy a few minor issues with some of the vacant buildings that are still standing, such as the presence of equipment from the adjacent radio tower and the removal of asbestos, Hayes said.
"It was a lot of heavy lifting to get to this point," he added. "But things should start moving pretty quickly after that."
However, there are still hurdles to clear before construction can commence, Schneider said, including design approvals, financial agreements and the resolution of parking concerns.
"The first redevelopment plan was approved more than 10 years ago, so our residents don't want to hear any more 'talk' about it. They want to see action," Schneider said. "But for the last couple weeks, this is what people in town have been talking about, because they can finally see the money being spent and the work being done."
And for longtime city residents like Hayes, a third-generation Long Branch resident, the demolition is something to be celebrated, even if there is still much more work to be done.
"I'm disappointed that the buildings there had to sit idle for so many years, just getting beaten up by the weather," Hayes said. "But this is a very ambitious project that gives us the opportunity to get something beautiful back in that area, so we're excited."
Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.