As of the 2017 American Community Survey, the Borough of Red Bank is a community of approximately 12,220 residents and a land area of 1.75 square-miles in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Situated on the southern bank of the Navesink River, Red Bank has abundant boating access to Sandy Hook Bay and other coastal areas in Monmouth County as well as regional transportation connections via NJ-35, the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Transit North Jersey Coast Line. Initially settled by English settlers in the 17th century, the Town incorporated in 1908 and has since become a bustling cultural and performing arts center with a quaint historic downtown.
The Shrewsbury Avenue neighborhood is located in the southwestern section of the Borough of Red Bank. The 0.66-square-mile area is bordered by the Navesink River to the west, New Jersey Transit passenger rail to the northeast and Newman Springs Road to the south. Shrewsbury Avenue is a County road that functions as the neighborhood commercial corridor as it bisects the neighborhood from West Front Street and runs due south into Shrewsbury Township. Historically, the area along Shrewsbury Avenue and west of the rail line was comprised of primarily residential uses with scattered neighborhood uses such as churches, schools, and drug stores. The physical barriers created by the railroad and industrial uses have historically caused the Shrewsbury Avenue neighborhood to seem cut off from the rest of the Borough. Coupled with a lack of public investment compared to the rest of the Borough, the neighborhood has struggled with building vacancy, maintenance of housing stock, and attraction of private investment in neighborhood infrastructure and amenities. This trend
has changed in recent years with several development projects along the eastern section of the neighborhood that is nearest the train tracks with development spreading westward.
The Focus Area of this Neighborhood Plan includes the Shrewsbury Avenue corridor between West Front Street and Drs. James Parker Boulevard. The rationale for doing so is based on the understanding of Shrewsbury Avenue as the commercial heart of the neighborhood which connects the residential districts to the east and to the west of the Avenue. The neighborhood surrounding the focus area is Monmouth County Census Tract 8034, which will be referenced throughout the plan as the Study Area. For data gathering purposes, census data for the neighborhood considers the whole tract to be the Shrewsbury Avenue neighborhood. The Neighborhood Context Map and Aerial Site Map show the location of the study area within Red Bank. To address the barriers to development in the whole of the Study Area and to reinforce the neighborhood’s strengths, this Neighborhood Plan includes an analysis of existing conditions and context-sensitive recommendations.
Students: Paul Cancilla, Tristan Harrison, Wenshu Lin, Hebah Masood, Guanfang Cai, Francisco Espinoza, Nomoya Hall, Kathleen O’Rourke,
Instructors: Susan Gruel, PP, Fred Heyer PP, AICP