ASBURY PARK PRESS

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SATURDAY 02.13.16

SINGLE ON
V-DAY?
Valentines Day
doesnt have to be
about having a
significant other.
There are plenty of
fun-filled activities
at the Jersey Shore.
Indulge, Page 1D

MONMOUTH MALL MAKEOVER

Ready, set, shop?

Not quite so fast

Dangerously
cold temps
arrive; snow
also possible
Arctic cold front brings subzero
temperatures, new storm possible
KALA KACHMAR @NEWSQUIP

New Jerseyans will face two major weather obstacles over the next several days: subzero temperatures
and what officials say could be a messy snowstorm
early next week.
As temperatures in Monmouth and Ocean counties
continued to drop Friday as an arctic cold front moved
in, dangerously cold temperatures arrived, according
to a hazardous weather briefing from the National
Weather Service in Mount Holly.
Wind chill and wind advisories are in effect
through the weekend for the region. Scattered wind
gusts that could get up to 55 mph will put wind chill
temperatures between -10 and -30 degrees over the
weekend, according to the advisories.
A freezing spray warning is in effect from Sandy
Hook to Great Egg Inlet and 10 miles off the coast
through 10 a.m. Sunday, meaning light to moderate
layers of ice could develop on vessels, making it dangerous to be out at sea, according to the weather service office in Mount Holly.
See WEATHER, Page 7A

COURTESY OF RTKL ARCHITECTS/KUSHNER COS.

An overview of the Monmouth Town Center, an overhaul of Monmouth Mall proposed by owner Kushner Cos.

Fiscal issues, zoning ordinance red tape precede

work on proposed $500 million mall upgrades
DAN RADEL @DANIELRADELAPP

NOAH K. MURRAY/CORRESPONDENT

Eatontown resident Ted Lewis talks to representatives from

Monmouth Mall about the impact of proposals.

EATONTOWN Kushner Cos. has finally unveiled

its $500 million redesign for Monmouth Mall, but that
doesnt mean the proverbial shovel will hit the ground
any time soon.
Theres the fiscal analysis for one: Are Kushners
pockets deep enough to make it happen? According to
its portfolio, the company did triple that amount last
year $1.5 billion in 2015 transactions alone than its
proposing here.
And then there is the red tape that will begin with
Kushner potentially seeking changes to the boroughs
land use ordinance, as well as local and Monmouth
County planning board and state Department of Transportation approvals.
The mall is in its own retail zone and would need a
zoning variance or ordinance to allow for its proposed
residential use, borough officials said.
See MALL, Page 9A

The buildings are really much too high as far as I'm concerned. I do think
our community deserves an upgrade at the mall. Im all in favor of that,
however I do think this is too extreme for our community to handle.
SOPHIA DOMOGALA, A RESIDENT OF TODD DRIVE, A NEIGHBORHOOD ADJACENT TO THE MONMOUTH MALL

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Toms River zoners reject rehab center

JEAN MIKLE @JEANMIKLE

TOMS RIVER - Since 2013, residents of the area off

Lakehurst Road have told the Board of Adjustment
that a proposed three-story, 124-bed rehabilitation center could destroy their neighborhood.
On Thursday night, the majority of the zoning board
agreed.
Board members voted 5-to-2 to deny Lapid Ventures
LLCs application for a use variance that would have
permitted the developer to build the 87,000-square-

Oil prices scored biggest

one-day gain since 2009
on Friday. STORY, 1B

ADVICE
CLASSIFIED
COMICS
LOCAL
MOVIES

7D
8D
6D
3A
5D

foot center across the street from homes on Smith

Road.
The neighborhood is located between Route 37 and
Lakehurst Road, near Community Medical Center.
There has not been one neighborhood resident who
has come to testify in favor of this use, board member
Robert Alston said, before making a motion to deny the
application.
Residents had testified that the rehabilitation
See REHAB, Page 9A

OBITUARIES
OPINION
SPORTS
WEATHER
YOUR MONEY

8A
11A
1C
10C
12A

VOLUME 137
NUMBER 38
SINCE 1879

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1SFTT
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MARK R. SULLIVAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

The Watterson family of Middletown departs the Anthem of

the Seas ship at Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne.

Whos at fault for

cruise nightmare?
MIKE DAVIS @BYMIKEDAVIS

BAYONNE - As Royal Caribbean prepares the Anthem of the Seas to sail again next week, some of the
4,500 passengers who weathered a violent storm at
sea may be starting their own preparations.
Its likely that a few passengers will file suit against
Royal Caribbean, whether its for personal injuries or
compensation, Fordham University Law school adjunct professor Larry Brennan said.
Even before the ship limped back to New Jersey
Wednesday after surviving a violent storm on the Atlantic, attention has focused on why Anthem of the
Seas was in harms way in the first place given dire
forecasts.
I think youll see a spattering of lawsuits. ...
Theres probably some more people who may have
See CRUISE, Page 5A