Asbury Partners promotes urban revitalization. (New Jersey).

Recognizing that urban redevelopment means nothing without urban revitalization, Asbury Partners, LLC, the master developer of Oceanfront Asbury in Asbury Park, N.J., continues to conduct an extensive community outreach initiative. Jerome C. Harris, Morris G. Smith, Esq., and Dr. Guy McCombs, three of New Jersey's foremost public policy and urban renewal specialists, are taking an active part in the process, said Larry Fishman, chief operating officer of Asbury Partners.

Oceanfront Asbury is a planned 56-acre waterfront redevelopment that includes residential, retail, entertainment, and recreational components. "Months of open dialogues with community leaders and residents have produced a master plan that reflects a sincere commitment to balance all development outcomes with urban empowerment milestones," Harris said. "Priority status has been assigned to issues such as preferential hiring of Asbury Park residents, workforce and entrepreneurial development, and mortgage financing."

"To date, Asbury Partners has contributed $3 million to be used for technical assistance in the predevelopment stages of Oceanfront Asbury," he added. "Asbury Park's S.T.A.R.S. Community Development Corporation and other community-based organizations involved in affordable housing efforts, such as Interfaith Neighbors, will benefit from the funds."

According to McCombs, Asbury Partners' outreach efforts focus on a broad spectrum of community development considerations. For example, the company has been a strong supporter of the Asbury Park Single Family Homes Revitalization Project -- a joint venture of the Monmouth Housing Alliance and S.T.A.R.S. CDC, which is focused on the construction of affordable and market-rate housing.

In addition, Asbury Partners, S.T.A.R.S. CDC, and the City of Asbury Park are creating a database of local contractors and skilled construction workers that are potential candidates for employment during the redevelopment. This partnership also includes the New Covenant Sounds of Praise Church, the Haitian Coalition, and the Hispanic Affairs and Resource Center of Monmouth County. Registration is open to contractors, subcontractors, vendors, trades people and service providers, as well as local residents interested in learning carpentry, painting, brick masonry, and other construction skills.

"Asbury Partners has established partnerships and productive communication with a number of key community groups," McCombs said. These diverse organizations include the West Side Community Center, the Historical Society of Asbury Park, I Dream A City, the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, Epiphany House and Asbury Park's two prominent ecumenical councils.

Designed by project planner Clarke Caton Hintz/Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, the proposed Oceanfront Asbury redevelopment project is based on the original James Bradley city plan as designed in 1897. It incorporates open parks and wide roads that provide easy beachfront access for area residents and visitors.

"The redevelopment will revitalize Asbury Park, positioning it once again as a great place to live, work and visit," noted Fishman. "But at its core, we recognize that the lifeblood of urban renewal is a fully engaged, empowered community. We are committed to understanding and responding to the needs of Asbury Park's population."