Pier Village is a Victorian-inspired mixed-use community located in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. It opened in 2005.

History

The land that Pier Village now sits on was originally that of the

Long Branch Pier The Long Branch Pier was a pier located at 65 Ocean Ave, in Long Branch, New Jersey, United States. History The pier was popular among fishermen and club goers who enjoyed late nights at "The Pier Pub" night club. From the late 1950s -- all t ...

and the

Kid's World DreamWorks Experience is a themed land at the Dreamworld theme park on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Themed after DreamWorks Animation and its franchises including '' Shrek'', '' Madagascar'' and '' Kung Fu Panda'', it replaced t ...

amusement park. On June 8, 1987, at around 3 PM, a fire broke out underneath the boardwalk in an electrical and gas box at the end of the pier. The fire quickly spread throughout the pier despite efforts by the Long Branch Fire Department to save it. After the fire, only the water attractions across the street from the pier remained. In the following weeks business had slowed and the remaining portion of Kid's World closed down permanently at the end of the summer. The owner, Pat Cicalese, planned on rebuilding the pier. However, his insurance did not cover the cost to rebuild what was destroyed and the town would not fund the project so the plans were abandoned. What was left of Kid's World remained abandoned for 17 years after the fire. Remains of the pier were demolished in the late 1990s. The rest of Kid's World across the street met the wrecking ball in 2002. The pier, which was built in three phases included stores, apartments, condominium, and amusements. The first phase was completed in 2005 at a cost of $100 million. In 2005, Applied Development Company, led by brothers David Barry and Michael Barry (the sons of

Joseph Barry Joseph Barry (born 1940) is an American real estate developer and co-founder of the Applied Housing Companies and founder of the ''Hudson Reporter'' newspaper chain. 322 rental apartments were built in four-story buildings on Ocean Avenue and more were added in the construction of the second phase.

Features

Pier Village consists of 536 rental residences sitting atop more than of retail space. A public grassy area called Festival Plaza is the site of regular events, including concerts, arts & crafts fairs, outdoor movies and holiday events. The tenants are mostly local businesses, most from Monmouth County, but there are national brands, such as Stewart's Root Beer, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and

Gold's Gym Gold's Gym International, Inc. is an American chain of international co-ed fitness centers (commonly referred to as gyms) originally started by Joe Gold in Venice Beach, California. Each gym offers a variety of cardio and strength training equi ...

. There are three restaurants situated on the boardwalk facing the ocean: Avenue, Sirena and McLoones. Of these, only McLoone's Pier House is free-standing. McLoone's was the only building built from the ground up by the restaurateur and was open a year in advance of the rest of the commercial properties within the Village. The developers David Barry and Michael Barry, along with partners, opened up a members-only beach club calle
Le Club
Designed by London-based architect David Collins, who also designed London’s Nobu Berkeley Street restaurant and the famed Blue Bar, Le Club is a resort featuring a modern tri-level building with a rooftop pool and sun deck offering views of the ocean and a private beach area with palm trees and cabanas. Travel & Leisure Magazine named it one of “20 Great American Beaches" in its July, 2007 issue, and New York Magazine profiled it in its annual Summer issue.

Criticism

The primary criticism of Pier Village was that

Eminent Domain Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

was abused to secure the land for development. Many argued that the homes seized were not "blighted" as the developer claimed. Residents were removed from their homes so that new homes could be constructed, The

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

reported: "Either way, the fight has become a public-relations disaster for the city as it tries to reclaim its glory days, when seven United States presidents vacationed here and New York's business barons traveled by stagecoach to fill the gambling halls. The 30 or so holdout homeowners have planted signs saying ''NOT For Sale'' in their sandy yards, and they have filled the windows of their pastel bungalows with posters declaring ''Eminent Domain Abuse,'' signed petitions, shouted at public meetings and written vitriolic letters to the local newspaper questioning the mayor's and the City Council's motives." In 2010, the state ruled that the downtown area was not blighted, and thus could not be seized by Eminent Domain to be redeveloped.

Awards

* The Urban Land Institute (ULI) named Pier Village “Project of the Year” in 2006. * New Jersey Governor’s Tourism Award in 2009

Expansions

New pier

In 2005, plans for a new pier were unveiled. The new plans would include: * A ferry terminal * An area for fishing * A . area for exhibitions that would include a restaurant * A beach-side stage * An amphitheater * A 3,500 to . area offshore that will be used for oceanographic and marine science educational classes

Hotel addition

Part of the Phase II expansion is Bungalow, a , 24-room boutique hotel with views of the ocean that is scheduled to open in May, 2009. Bungalow is much more modern than the original Victorian-styled buildings and sits at the entrance of Pier Village at the corner of Ocean Blvd. and Laird Street.

Pier Village Phase III

Applied Development Company is seeking approvals from the City for a third and final phase at Pier Village that will consist of a 100-room hotel, 200 rental residences, 75 condominium homes, of retail space and a new oceanfront public park.

In popular culture

*In a March 2008 episode of the ABC hidden-camera show, Primetime: What Would You Do?, which has actors do abnormal things (such as get into verbal fights, rob stores, etc.), showed an actor, who was significantly overweight, sitting on a bench in Pier Village while three other actors verbally insulted her.

Developer

Pier Village is being developed by David Barry and Michael Barry, principals of Applied Development Company. The brothers are also principals of Ironstate Development. Other notable projects from them include: * The W Hoboken Hotel & Residences, a new 26-story hotel offering 225 rooms and 40 condominium residences on the Hudson Riverfront in Hoboken, NJ facing mid-town Manhattan. The hotel is scheduled to open February, 2009. *

Port Liberte A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

a 1,290-unit master-planned community in Jersey City, NJ. 804 homes have been built to date. *50 Columbus, a 35-story building offering 400 rental units, 950-car parking garage and of retail space in Jersey City, NJ. * W Marrakech Hotel & Residences: a future hotel in Morocco, North Africa. The hotel will offer 150 hotel rooms and 50 whole-ownership villa units. The property is scheduled to open in mid-2010. W Marrakech Hotel & Residences will be a core element of the Al Maaden Resort development and will overlook an 18-hole championship golf course. *Harrison Commons, a New Urbanist Master Planned community featuring more than 2,600 residences and of retail space in Harrison, NJ adjacent to the PATH Station. Sitework is underway.

References

External links

Pier Village

The Apartments at Pier Village

Fall 2006 Expansion

NY Times article about Pier Village’s impact on Long Branch

Ironstate Development Website
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