Major Change Proposed For Downtown Apartments In Toms River

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Toms River officials and the project developer have released a significant revision to plans for a controversial downtown apartment complex that would reduce 10-story towers to six stories at the site of the former Red Carpet Inn.

The proposed revision was announced by Mayor Maurice "Mo" Hill during Thursday's Republican mayoral debate.

Hill presented an artist's rendering showing the six-story towers as he addressed a question regarding the project that has been roundly criticized since the plans for the apartment towers were first presented in 2021.

The project has been the subject of heated discussions at Township Council meetings since March, when the council was to consider an ordinance amending the Hooper-Caudina redevelopment plan.

Hill said the new proposal is for four stories of apartments with two stories of parking garage and an enclosed design instead of two towers with an open area.

"This building will be smaller than town hall," he said during the debate. The remainder of the project would stay the same, with an amphitheater, a natural waterfront and a boardwalk area, Hill said.

The 10-story towers have been a flashpoint, with criticisms that high-rise buildings would change the character of the downtown and lead to additional high rises as the downtown redevelopment project progresses.

There have been calls to halt the redevelopment project and revisit plans that are in the works, to make sure the plans are cohesive.

While the council has resisted the call to completely pause the redevelopment project, Hill said the concerns about the 10-story towers have been heard, and the changes are the result of those concerns.

Robert Chankalian, the township engineer, said Hill had been discussing the concerns about the 10 stories with the developer, Capodoglia Property Company, and the six-story building with 285 apartments was the result.

"The plan is exactly the same from a unit count and parking perspective, however instead of two tall, albeit smaller-footprint towers atop of the parking deck, the new proposal will have a larger footprint of residential units, but less in height," Chankalian said.

Chankalian said the new plan will require an amended site plan that must be presented to the Toms River Planning Board for review, and likely will require an amended redevelopment plan.

"We expect to have a meeting with the developer to go over the finer details in a week or so," Chankalian said.

The apartments are anticipated to be filled primarily by medical students doing their residency at Community Medical Center, which has become a teaching hospital. The overall goal of redeveloping the downtown is to create an active area similar to what exists in Red Bank, with restaurants and shops and pedestrian traffic.

Hill said the change does not affect the plans for the natural shoreline that already have received approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

"I think that (the new design) would answer a lot of concerns the residents have," Hill said.

If you missed the Republican mayoral debate, see it here.