New urban plan saves rock icon

An innovative design to save the Stone Pony — an early Bruce Springsteen venue — is a key part of a massive revitalization effort for Asbury Park, New Jersey. If Hollywood ever decides to create a TV series featuring new urbanists, Asbury Park would make an good episode. There’s is a lot at stake here: a formerly glorious vacation city that has fallen on such hard times that much of its shoreline area consists of abandoned buildings and empty blocks. The city is known for high taxes, a poor school system, seedy beachside amusement houses, and — in the not too distant past — cases of corruption. In the middle of the 150-acre redevelopment site is the Stone Pony, a ramshackle but famous cradle of New Jersey rock, which drew 150 fans to the charrette to protest talk of demolition or change of location. In the past, some developers have not proved trustworthy. In an unrelated but telling interlude during the late January charrette, FBI agents raided city offices for documents, reportedly linked to a previous redevelopment effort involving the Housing Authority, a former councilman, and private developers. Andres Duany of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co., the planner hired by the city, was in his element, offering interviews to VH1 and Big Apple reporters (the event made page 1 of the New York Times), assuring fans that the rock venue would be saved, and persuading city officials that Asbury Park is, once again, poised for greatness. The plan, to be developed by Ocean Front Acquisitions, is an impressive example of infill redevelopment served by mass transit. About 3,000 housing units, 450,000 square feet of retail and entertainment, parks, and civic structures are proposed. A number of historically significant buildings are to be preserved. In all, about eight blocks of beachfront properties would be transformed. The site has commuter rail service to Manhattan, an hour and a half away. The urbanism of the plan is fairly intense — mostly core and center tiers of the Transect. DPZ used Duany’s Transect concept to deal with the thorny Stone Pony issue. The development will largely attract singles, so why not market some of the units to rock and roll fans using the Stone Pony’s outdoor concerts as a draw? DPZ designed one apartment building to wrap around the Pony, giving residents balcony views of the concerts — while shielding the rest of the neighborhood from thumping bass lines. Prior to DPZ coming to town, the developer’s architects Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn and Clarke Caton Hintz had already come up with an excellent plan, Duany says. The city needed help from DPZ in managing the process and ensuring that the project would be built in a form that is consistent with the public interest. DPZ tweaked the plan, drew up urban and architectural codes and guidelines, and came up with visions for improving streetscapes and public spaces to make the public realm more pleasant and walkable. Two important preservation issues — the Stone Pony and the Palace Amusements complex — were addressed. The plans are scheduled to go before the planning board and then to the city council for final approval.