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December 10, 2003
UNIQUE LANDSCAPING PLAN FOR ASBURY PARK COMBINES ANCIENT COASTAL FORESTS WITH CONTEMPORARY URBAN DEVELOPMENT
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The Atomic Bar, Asbury Park's newest beachfront club and sports bar, is now open on the boardwalk. Located at
Oceanfront Asbury, the 56-acre waterfront redevelopment plan now underway in
Asbury Park, New Jersey, includes a unique landscape architectural plan that
is a vital element of the project. The master plan calls for hundreds of shade
trees to help protect the area's valuable coastal resources, and enhance the
aesthetic quality of this renewed city.
Although the Jersey shore is probably better known for scrub and sand than for
shade trees and forests, centuries ago, before the encroachment of man, the area
was indeed dotted with forests. CAFRA, New Jersey's Coastal Area Facilities Review
Act, enforced by the Department of Environmental Protection, calls for some degree
of 'reforestation' for the oceanfront area. However balancing the needs of urban
dwellers with those of delicate plantings can pose some unique challenges.
"Trees can be particularly susceptible to damage by salty ocean winds and urban
conditions," explained Michael Sullivan, ASLA, AICP of Clarke Caton Hintz, the
Trenton-based urban redevelopment firm which has teamed up with Asbury Partners,
LLC on the project. "Residents, on the other hand, are concerned that trees may
block ocean breezes, or interfere with traffic routes." Sullivan addressed the
City's Shade Tree Commission to explain the landscape plans this fall.
Taking all these concerns into account, the plan begins with the selection of
particularly hardy species of shade trees. On the flared east/west avenues, manicured
lawns will be re-created within the center of each roadway. Formal arrangements
of native trees will be planted within these park spaces. Evergreen hedges and
ornamental plantings will provide appropriate visual accents at intersections
of cross streets.
On the north/south streets, trees will be arranged along sidewalks, except on
Ocean Avenue and other places that have no protection from the salty winds.
In all cases, the trees will be located to allow for the free flow of pedestrian
and vehicular traffic. There will also be special accommodations for irrigation
and aeration.
"We believe the landscape plan will enhance the contemporary urban residential
and retail development planned for the prime renewal area," Sullivan said. "The
buildings will provide some protection for the trees, buffering the most damaging
winds. The shade of the trees will provide a cool respite in summer, and their
wind-sculpted forms will reflect the unique coastal environment, enhancing the
areas natural beauty all year-around."
"This is a very different urban design for the shore area," noted Larry Fishman,
chief operating officer for Asbury Partners, LLC. "It is a melding of ancient
natural landscape with modern development...the merging of man and nature. The
ocean and the landscape is what makes Asbury Park so special. It is an environment
that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world, and we are proud to take
part in its preservation and revitalization."
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