The Senior Center as seen last August. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

After a failed attempt to preserve part of the Red Bank Senior Center property by subdividing it, the council will try another approach Wednesday night.

According to an item on the agenda for Wednesday night, the council will initiate an effort to deed-restrict the property. Deed restrictions set conditions for usage that “run with the property,” obligating current and future owners until removed or modified.

A copy of the proposed deed restriction up for introduction was not included in the council’s agenda.

The action follows the borough planning board’s June 5 rejection of a a proposed subdivision of the riverfront property, at 80 Shrewsbury Avenue.

Under that plan, advocated by by Councilman Michael Ballard, the site would be split into two parcels: one for the recently restored Senior Center building and parking lot, and the other, an undeveloped strip alongside the Swimming River.

The goal was to have the waterfront site listed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on the borough’s Recreation and Open Spaces Inventory, or ROSI, so that it would remain open space, Ballard has said.

Planning board members, however, said that approach would cede too much control of the riverfront site to the DEP, when other conservation tools would not.

Also on the agenda: a proclamation honoring Councilmember Ed Zipprich, who is leaving the governing body after five terms. Here’s the full agenda.

The council meets at 6:30 p.m. at borough hall, 90 Monmouth Street. Remote viewing and participation is available via Zoom.

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