Red Bank Rehab Possible, Even Without Annexation

The recent vote on annexation was a personal one for residents of Plainfield Avenue and Cranford Road. But the decision had a far wider impact. Most of the area considered for annexation was businesses on Red Bank Road and most of those business owners didn't have a vote.

The street is lined with half-filled or aging strip malls in various stages of disrepair and homes converted into small businesses. A “yes” vote would have meant city guidelines on development and upkeep, as well as business license fees that would have likely chased off some businesses owners.

Instead, nearby residents said “no” to the city’s annexation offer. But that’s not the end for a Red Bank rehab. The county’s arterial road standards have been in place since 2009 and include Red Bank Road. The requirements limit the size and location of signs, the quality of the landscaping, the number of parking spaces, and more.

And there are already examples of what the standards can produce. Red Bank’s new Family Dollar store and the Exxon at the corner with Harbour Lake Drive sport signs that sit on the ground and they’ve got fresh landscaping.

The delay for a similar makeover on the rest of the street comes in a grandfather clause. The corridor standards don’t kick in unless there is a sizable redevelopment.

Berkeley County Planning Director Eric Greenway says it’s just going to take time. “Once a few properties start to redevelop, it will drive other properties to redevelop,” he says.

That opportunity is right next door. The lots on both sides of the new Family Dollar are up for sale.