26 West on the Navesink (Photos by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The owners of 26 West on the Navesink restaurant have abandoned plans to build a rooftop terrace overlooking the Navesink River, reversing a plan the restaurant made when it opened seven years ago.
The view from the rear of 26 West on the Navesink (right) with the new Southbank condos on the Navesink side to the left.
The owners had applied to the municipality earlier this year to add a rooftop deck and convert a basement room into a speakeasy with 30 seats and two restrooms. At the planning committee meeting on Wednesday, they announced that they were removing the rooftop deck from the plans and would only convert the basement room into an area for special events and possible additional seating.
When they opened in 2017, the owners of the restaurant at 26 West Front Street originally wanted a rooftop deck overlooking the Navesink River, but scrapped their plans amid neighbors’ concerns about noise and limited views. The building currently has a semi-enclosed area with wide windows on the top floor.
The restaurant is located directly across Boat Club Court from a newly completed Southbank apartment building in Denholtz Properties’ Navesink complex. Southbank’s website says 90 percent of the units in the river-view building have been sold.
Mikaela Lucia, 26 West’s operations manager, said management hasn’t faced any resistance to the idea of a rooftop deck this time around, but has decided to simply focus on the new basement space, especially as the outdoor dining season draws to a close.
The Planning Board unanimously approved the application to convert the basement. According to the owners, it will be used for private events, reservations for large parties and as additional seating for the main restaurant if needed. The application required a special permit for additional parking that would be needed for an expansion. The restaurant already had a special permit for parking as there is no parking on the property.
Prior to 26 West on Navesink, the building housed the 10th Ave. Burrito Company and before that, Fixx and Chubby’s Waterside Café.
redbankgreen Editor Brian Donohue can be reached by email at (email protected) or by phone or text at 848-331-8331. Or call his name as he passes by. Appreciate the reporting of redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you have not already done so. Click here to determine the amount of your monthly or annual contribution yourself.
