Keyport: Satellite Photo by USGS

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1 Keyport Section 1: Overview of Keyport and Its Waterfront Keyport: Satellite Photo by USGS 1.1 Geographical Overview The Borough of Keyport is one of nine communities that comprise the Bayshore Region of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Keyport has a land area of 1.4 square miles. Itt is 40 miles from New York City by car, bus or train and 20 nautical miles by passenger ferry to downtown Manhattan from the ferry terminal in nearby Belford, which is about 5 miles from Keyport. It is 55 miles East of Philadelphia. Keyport is accessible from the Garden State Parkway South Exit 117, State Highways 35 and 36. Keyport is located at the foot of Keyport Harbor and Matawan Creek and is surrounded by Hazlet and Aberdeen Townships and the Borough of Union Beach. 1.2 Demographics of Keyport The 2000 Census tallies Keyport s population as 7,568. The racial composition is 78% White (non-hispanic), 11% Hispanic, and 7% Black or African American. Approximately 11% of the total population was born in foreign countries. The 2000 Census shows that over 60% of the employed adults in Keyport are in management, professional, and related occupations (32.5%) or sales and office occupations (31.0%), and 16.5% are in service occupations. At one time Keyport was a center of oystering and clamming, but commercial fishing from this port ended in the mid 20 th century largely due to 1

2 pollution of Raritan Bay. The 2000 Census shows only 0.3% engaged in farming, fishing, and forestry in Keyport. There used to be many summer vacation houses in Keyport but most of the houses are now occupied year-round. The 2000 Census shows only 0.3% of the housing used for seasonal, recreational, and occasional housing occupancy. 1.3 Historical Overview of the Waterfront Keyport has a history as a fishing village, especially for oystering, as well as a port for steamboats. Records of sailboats and steamships built and used in Keyport through the end of the nineteenth century are kept at Keyport's Steamboat Dock Museum, which is located on Broad Street. Trains and steamboats were a common sight along the shore, bringing visitors to summer homes and playgrounds. Fishing villages had become "resorts," and "tourism" was the new industry. The borough of Keyport has an oyster festival every summer at the Steamboat Dock Museum, together with the New York/New Jersey Baykeeper Organization, in part commemorating its oystering history and partly to celebrate the Baykeeper efforts to restore oysters to the Raritan Bay. Now, half of the waterfront along Keyport s approximately one-mile shoreline is privately owned by residential and industrial owners and the other half is owned by the borough. Eighty percent of the waterfront is publicly accessible, and. 20% is closed to the public by private residential and industrial property owners. The waterfront is largely used for recreational purposes, especially along the bulkhead and the municipal fishing pier on the side of American Legion Drive. Section 2: Waterfront Use 2.1 Summary of Waterfront Use People come to Keyport for walking, swimming, fishing, and viewing, and boating. Public beaches, a municipal fishing pier, a park, and a municipal beat ramp attract them. There is a large public parking lot along American Legion Drive across from the bulkhead and the fishing pier. People also may park for free on American Legion Drive on the bulkhead side; recreational fishermen often park there and fish off the bulkhead. There are two bait shops on Front Street (Keyport Marine Basin and Crabby s Bait & Tackle), and recreational fishermen can purchase their needs there. Several restaurants and bars are situated behind the public parking lot as well as on Front Street and become popular spots for people during summer. 2

3 There is a seafood market, called Keyport Seafood Market, on Front Street, that can also be counted as a waterfront dependent business in Keyport. The municipality built the bulkheads and the walkway along the bulkheads on American Legion Drive after a storm in 1964 to provide protection from flooding. The municipal fishing pier was built in The 1989 Master Plan identified marina development along the waterfront of Keyport as one of the top three changes, based on review of aerial photographs documenting land use changes over a 25 year period. There is no municipal marina in Keyport but there are four private marinas and one yacht club. Captain John s Fishing has a dock at the bulkhead on American Legion Drive and runs a party boat business except for winter. Kathleen D Sailing Catamaran is a newcomer among the waterfront related businesses in Keyport; it started cruising sailboat service in It uses the municipal fishing pier for its dock. According to officials interviewed, people such as recreational fishermen fishing off the municipal fishing pier have complained against the cruising business using the pier for its dock. The municipal fishing pier was once used as a temporary ferry terminal for a ferry to Manhattan, but this ended because of problems with parking space. There was no parking lot specifically for the ferry customers so the ferry customers used the municipal parking lot, resulting in conflicts with other users of the parking lot. The ferry also conflicted with recreational fishermen who use the pier for their fishing. Keyport Borough submitted a second proposal for a ferry terminal in recent years, but it did not develop. There are still problems with parking spaces and conflicts with recreational fishermen Waterfront Access Common Name Address GPS Fishing Private Marina Public Marina Trailered Launch Hand Launch Birdwatching Swimming Parking Handicapped Accessible Picnic Facilities Food Concessions Restroom Facilities Fee Publicly i d Municipal Fishing Pier Walkway American Legion Drive Along American Legion Drive 3

4 Benjamin C. Terry Park Municipal Boat Ramp Public Beach #1 E. Front St. First St. First Street Informally used and accessible Street ends at Public Beach #2 The end of Cedar Street Hans Pedersen & Sons Boat Yard W. Front At. Publicly Inaccessible Brown s Point Marina Keyport Marine Basin Olsen s Boat Yard Keyport Yacht Club W. Front St. W. Front St. E. Front St. First Street Captain John s Party Boat (Dock) American Legion Drive Others Residential Areas Private cruise service: Kathleen D. Sailing Catamaran Municipal Dock/fishing pier on American Legion Drive Public Beach #1 on First Street Public Beach #2 Public beaches: Public beach #1 is on the side of First Street next to the municipal boat ramp. Public beach #2 can be accessed at the dead end of Cedar Street next to Benjamin C. Terry Park 4

5 and at the dead end of Walnut Street. Both of the beaches require no fees. They have signs saying, No lifeguard on duty, swim at own risk. Public beach #1 is a sandy beach with a beach volleyball court and playground facilities for children. Public beach #2 is located between the northeast end of Benjamin C. Terry Park and the northeast end of the municipal boundary with Union Beach. There is no public parking space for people going to public beach #2 nor are there signs to lead the public there. People park at the end of Cedar Street. This beach is informally used but publicly accessible. Municipal Fishing Pier on American Legion Drive Municipal fishing pier: The William A. Ralph fishing pier on American Legion Drive is a wooden pier built with Green Acre funding in People use the pier for fishing, viewing, and walking. People using the fishing pier may park along American Legion Drive or at a municipal parking lot across the street (American Legion Drive) for free. Walkway along American Legion Drive: Bulkheads and a walkway were built along American Legion Drive. People use the walkway for recreational fishing, walking, and viewing. They can park either on the side of the street or in the public parking lot across American Legion Drive from the walkway. 5

6 Benjamin C. Terry Park is at the intersection east of Front Street and Myrtle Street, next to Olsen s Boat Yard. Bulkheads are built along the shore side. The ground is covered with green grass and there are some benches and swings for children to play. There is no parking space close to this park. Municipal boat ramp: The municipal boat ramp is at the end of First Street before American Legion Drive. It is built with Green Acre funding. There are signs saying, No lifeguard on duty swim at own risk. There is a public parking lot next to the ramp. Party Boat Dock: There is a dock for a recreational party boat or head boat (Captain John's Fishing) off the bulkhead on American Legion Drive. The customers may use the municipal parking lot across the street (American Legion Drive). Cruising Sailboat Dock: Kathleen D Sailing Catamaran provides 3 hour sunset cruises on Raritan Bay. It started in 2003 and uses the municipal dock/municipal fishing pier on American Legion Drive. Some people have complained about this use of the municipal fishing pier for a private business. Private Marinas: Keyport has two boatyard marinas, two marinas, and a yacht club: Olsen s Boat Yard; Brown s Point Marina; Hans Pedersen & Sons; Keyport Marine Basin; and Keyport Yacht Club. The boat yards have a long history in the area as the sites of boat-building. Twenty percent of Keyport s shoreline is owned by these private marinas or by private home owners and is inaccessible to the general public. Waterfront Residential Areas: Private homes also limit access. Two homeowners built fences on one of the beaches blocking public access to the beach. Section 3: Waterfront issues and Planning Initiatives 3.1 Waterfront issues Current waterfront issues include the building of fences to exclude people from public beaches and complaints about the use of the public fishing pier. Keyport is working on a redevelopment plan for the waterfront which will be available later in 2004.** The Master Plan predicts that limited availability of developable land suited for 6

7 residential use will result in a decline in the number and rate of new housing. Future redevelopment might bring new waterfront issues to Keyport Planning Initiatives The Master Plan Goals and Objectives are that Keyport continues a public-private partnership to enhance and expand the marine and commercial waterfront as an economic base of Keyport in balance with the public s right of access to and enjoyment of the bay. As special zoning plans for water-dependent uses, the Borough has established three historic preservation districts within the Bayfront area of the community: Front, Main and First Street districts. The 1989 Master Plan recommended creation of a mixed-use waterfront district at a former landfill-aircraft assembly site located in the extreme northeasterly sector of the community. At that time the site was zoned for light industrial use. The Master Plan recognized that this zoning was in conflict with the Coastal Zone Management Plan of NJDEP and with the Bayfront Recreation-Open Space Policies of the Monmouth County Planning Board. Development of the land for industrial use would permanently deny public access and enjoyment of waterfront areas. The Master Plan recommended that the area be rezoned as a planned district. The Master Plan states that regulations should insure future access and enjoyment of waterfront area as a function of development of the land. In the 2001 Re-examination of the Master Plan, public access continued to remain a priority. In October 2001 New York Fast Ferry commenced ferry service between the public fishing pier and lower Manhattan. However, the service was short-lived because of the parking issue and conflicts with recreational needs of the fishing pier. There will be a continuing need to balance recreational use of the pier, as well as the entire waterfront area, with public transportation, parking and other downtown commercial needs. Keyport officials plan to replace the aging municipal fishing pier on American Legion Drive. The municipality has already received a $350,000 grant and another $250,000 in a low-interest loan (Miller 2003). It will apply for a state grant in 2004 in order to pay off the loan. The rebuilt pier will be used only for recreational purposes. The municipality is seeking another location and grants to build another new pier just for a ferry terminal. Site designs for improved public access to the waterfront adjacent to the bulkhead along American Legion Drive have been developed and are ready for implementation. 7

8 Development of an updated downtown plan that identifies functional and visual links between Front Street and the waterfront area is needed. It was also recommended that the Ordinance to require dedication of open space needs to be amended to include upland area to further permit public access to the waterfront and better serve recreational needs. The Borough is finalizing a redevelopment plan for the Aeromarine Site, a former landfill and industrial 62-acre waterfront site with contamination issues. Public hearings were held from June through August The preliminary redevelopment plan for the site calls for public access to the natural shoreline, open space, and mixed uses, including age-restricted housing. Public comment thus far has opposed high density development on the site, although redevelopers insist that they cannot properly pay for the clean-up of the site without high-density development as a result of their investment. 4. Summary Keyport is a waterfront town. Many people come during the summer for activities related to the waterfront such as boating, fishing, swimming, walking, and viewing. Recreational/subsistence fishermen come all year. Proximity to the bayshore affects the town s economy, especially for the waterfront dependent businesses such as bait shops, restaurants and bars, marinas, party boats, and cruising boats. The municipality has planned redevelopment of the waterfront with awareness of the needs of the public. Gentrification could be an issue in the future depending on future redevelopment, especially if the ferry terminal plan is carried out. References Census 2000 of Keyport Borough City-Data.com Keyport: Satellite Photo by USGS in Keyport, New Jersey Detailed Profile, accessed March 31, Borough of Keyport, NJ Keyport Borough HP, accessed March 31,

9 Miller, Patricia A Fishing pier to be replaced in Keyport Borough receives $350,000 in state Green Acres funding for project. Independent (New Jersey), October 29. Electronic document, accessed March 31,