The proposed site of a major redevelopment project in South Toms River. (Credit: Google Maps)
A planned Marriott hotel will be decreased in size by nearly half following the approval of a modified site plan by South Toms River land use board members, while the residential portion of the mixed-use site will see a number of modifications.
M&T at STR Urban Renewal, LLC, owned at least partially by developer Jack Morris, received approval in 2019 to build 360 multi-family residential units, a 100 room extended stay hotel, a 6,000 square foot “clubhouse/lobby/leasing center” and two 4,200 square foot retail pads between Chamberlain Street and Railroad Avenue near Dover Road.
Last month, the South Toms River land use board approved an updated site plan for the development, which calls for a scaled-back hotel that will be reduced in size from 35,331 square feet to 16,211 square feet with a separate pool. The hotel will also now have a drop-off location at the lobby. The same approval allowed M&T to separate the residential clubhouse from the hotel building, and increase the size of the clubhouse to 6,510 square feet from 6,000 square feet.
Additionally, the modified plans call for the construction of a separate 3,500 square foot building for storage and maintenance and the reconfiguration of a recreation area to include a dog run, outdoor sitting area and a fire pit.
M&T did not seek any other changes to the site plans previously approved.
The plot of land was owned by Jersey Central Power & Light before being purchased by M&T. It is a declared area in need of redevelopment, a legal designation that allows a municipality to seek and appoint a developer to build on a blighted plot of land.
