Council Mulls Recreational Use Downtown

In an attempt to draw more visitors to Red Bank for entertainment, and to "change with the times," the borough is considering allowing certain previously banned recreational businesses to fill vacant storefronts.

According to Mayor Pasquale Menna, commercial recreation could be billiard parlors, video games - but not an arcade - digital-type entertainment, and art galleries with dance music blaring from loud speakers.

At the council's workshop meeting prior to its regular meeting on Monday night, Menna discussed a possible change in the borough's zoning to allow for commercial entertainment.

Currently there is no place in the borough for people to shoot pool in the borough.

"Billiards are trendy." Menna said. "Red Bank is in a very unique situation since our turnaround of several years ago, and we are a vibrant community."

In the 1980s, the borough was nicknamed 'dead bank' because of vacant storefronts because of the 1980-era recession. In the 1990s, New Jersey Monthly Magazine nicknamed the borough "Hip City," and the borough's renaissance began.

Menna added that out-of-town visitors have said that they "love coming to Red Bank, but there are very few places for entertainment."

"We have to change with the times," Menna said, adding that commercial entertainment will give residents and out-of-town visitors something more to do than  go to restaurants for breakfast, lunch or dinner or to bars to drink and listen to music.

Menna said the town "has to try harder to keep people on the sidewalks and give them something to do."

He added that RiverCenter is supportive of commercial recreation.

"This discussion tonight is just the first step, and now we need some more guidelines, which will be discussed at our next meeting," hw said.