A property that mixes residential and business uses – with the business portion having seen significant turnover in recent years – will be permitted to reorganize with a new layout and construction following a recent planning board approval in Seaside Park.
The property at 1916-1918 Boulevard, which also includes the property known as 41 Porter Avenue, was most recently occupied by Open Sesame Bagels and Deli, and previously several restaurants including a pizzeria. The Boulevard portion has a residential apartment on the second floor, while the Porter Avenue portion of the property is solely residential, with two units contained in one building.
The planning board approved a plan last week, for the commercial portion of the lot, to renovate the first-floor commercial space, leaving the overall size unchanged. A rooftop area would be added that bumps out slightly in order to prevent the residential tenants from directly overlooking the first-floor commercial use. Additionally, the owner of the building will remove asphalt and concrete surfaces that are no longer deemed necessary, including the asphalt area between the buildings and the concrete area in front of the Porter Avenue portion.
Stones will replace the asphalt and concrete where appropriate, bringing the impervious coverage of the total property down from 78 percent to 60 percent, improving drainage.
The apartment over the residential dwelling will be fully reconstructed, and have three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The residential portion of the property at 41 Porter Avenue will see the second dwelling unit eliminated and the building converted to a single-family home with three bedrooms. A third floor addition is planned for the south side of the building, and the building will be elevated to allow the first floor dwelling space to comply with modern flood regulations. Stairs and two external utility closets will be removed, and mechanical equipment will be relocated inside and out of the way of flood danger. Stairs to the building will be reconstructed.
The property itself was initially developed in 1960, according to public records.