Hotel Planner's Testimony May Conclude Tonight

Testimony from a developer looking to build a Hampton Inn and Suites in Red Bank could wrap up Monday night, following months of meetings, presentations, cross examinations, and delays in the planning process.

What’s less clear, however, is whether the Planning Board will opt to vote on the plan immediately after. With developer RBank Capital LLC looking for about to build the six-story, 76-room hotel on a parcel of land just a smidge larger than an acre, the board will likely use as much time as it needs and then some to ask questions, make demands, and assure that the hotel is the best fit for Red Bank.

And then there’s the pesky . Filed by Red Bank resident Stephen Mitchell and aimed at stopping the development, the lawsuit alleges that the developer is skirting zoning ordinances and regular procedure by taking the fight for approval to the Planning Board. Since retaining attorney Ron Gasiorowski in September, every discussion about the hotel since has included some form of , much of it centering on the proposed site’s size and history.

Many of the variances sought from the board have to do with the size of the property. At just 1.04 acres, the parcel of land is just not big enough, according to local ordinances, to hold a hotel of the proposed project’s size. The builder is looking for a number of variances, including changes to the minimum front, rear, and side yard setbacks.

There are also concerns that the site could present some health hazards to those staying at the hotel or working there on a regular basis. The site, home of a former Exxon station, is . According to land-use requirements from Exxon made to keep the gas giant free from any potential litigation following the sale of the property, developers are restricted from building anything that would fall under residential use, elderly care, and recreational use, among others.

The developer’s own environmental expert said the site is not expected to have ground water with allowable levels of contaminants until at least 2016.

Despite the concerns, the hotel would represent a on a piece of property that’s been abandoned for most of the decade. After being home to a gas station for about 70 years, the Exxon station finally closed for good in the early 2000’s.

Developer Larry Cohen said Hampton Inns and Suites typically average occupancy rates of more than 70 percent, though he expects the Red Bank hotel to operate at about 80 percent, according to projections. With the borough’s 3-percent occupancy tax on hotel rooms, Cohen said Red Bank would earn about $75,000 a year in occupancy taxes alone.

The hotel is also the right fit, the builder argues, based on the borough’s own master plan, which calls for riverfront development.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday night at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at .