Broadway Center plan recognized by county
BY CHRISTINE VARNO
Staff Writer

LONG BRANCH - The City of Long Branch and the developer of the Broadway Arts Center redevelopment zone were to be recognized Wednesday with the 2006 Monmouth County Planning Merit Award.

The Monmouth County Planning Board (MCPB) was expected to present the award to Long Branch officials and the Broadway Arts Center (BAC) for the Broadway Center plan to revitalize the arts and entertainment corridor in Long Branch.

"The Long Branch municipality has undertaken an excellent and comprehensive program to redevelop and revitalize the city's downtown business district," said county Planning Board Chairman Joseph Rettagliata in a press release.

The ceremony was scheduled to be held at Branches Restaurant in West Long Branch on Oct. 25.

The Planning Board has recognized and awarded plans, projects, individuals and municipalities since 1984 that have influenced planning in the county, according to the release.

The Broadway redevelopment project is a mixed-use, art-residential-retail-entertainment project ,comprised of shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and 500 new residences.

"We are proud to be honored by the Monmouth County Planning Board, an institution that has sought to encourage and promote the highest standards of land use planning in the county for the last fifty years," Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider said in the release.

"The Broadway Center is an example of creative redevelopment through excellent design that will benefit the entire community," he said.