newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ADELE SAMMARCO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

More than two decades ago, locals referred it to as, “Dead Bank."

Lifeless buildings and abandoned storefronts lined West Front Street in the 1970s and 1980s until some members of the community could take no more and a business improvement district was born.

Today, Red Bank is considered to be a premier “hot spot” in Monmouth County, just outside Shrewsbury and Rumson, the downtown has become ‘big’ with culture and renewed life.

Recognizing that re-birth, Smithsonian magazine has ranked Red Bank as the third best small town in the United States to live and to raise a family.

Many residents say they are not surprised with the ranking.  They call Red Bank a mini-city where the downtown has come alive with restaurants and shopping as well as culture and nightlife right at their doorstep.

Two River Theater and the Count Basie Theatre along with the Monmouth County Arts Council are just steps from the ocean.

Numa C. Saisselin, CEO of the Count Basie Theatre, Inc. said Red Bank’s revitalization evolved through mutual interests.

“This improvement was hard won by a team effort of government, forward thinking local businesses and the nonprofit sector, especially the Red Bank RiverCenter Special Improvement District,” Saisselin said. “The Count Basie Theatre is especially pleased by this particular ranking because it was based in large part on, to quote Smithsonian, "one quality above all other: culture."

Nancy Adams, Executive Director of the Red Bank RiverCenter added, "We at RiverCenter are thrilled with this recognition. RiverCenter manages the entire downtown district and works hard managing the day-to-day operations of such a busy business district. It's nice to know that our work with events and businesses has helped to make Red Bank one of the best downtowns in the country!"

In the early 1990s, under the New Jersey Development and Redevelopment Law, the town authorized the creation of an organization to manage redevelopment in what was designated a Special Improvement District, known as the Red Bank RiverCenter, which retains authority over the management and redevelopment of the agreed-upon "downtown business district."

The downtown district includes Broad Street from the Red Bank Post Office to Marine Park and from Maple Avenue to one block east of Broad Street. A number of urban redevelopment projects have taken place, including improved signage, distinctive and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and lighting, a coherent design plan for Main Street and other major thoroughfares, improved condition of parking lots with landscaping, as well as similar other projects.

Red Bank is not far from New York City where one can jump on the ferry and be in Manhattan in just a half hour.

But who needs to, said Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich, who says everything is at one’s fingertips.

“Red Bank is a vibrant and historic town with performing arts theaters, an arts movie theater and over 50 restaurants,” Zipprich said. “I am proud of the history I have helped preserve for future generations. Also, my effort to have our historic train station restored has been realized. It is currently undergoing a major restoration by New Jersey transit."

A popular food and wine walk will also return to Red Bank on the third Sunday of each month beginning May 20 through August, where you can sample food and wine from restaurants throughout the entire Red Bank Business District.