Calls for Developers for Belford Seaport

Middletown, NJ - Patch has told you that Middletown Mayor Gerry Scharfenberger is keen to develop the Belford Seaport, 390 acres of waterfront property near the NY Waterways ferry terminal that Middletown has long struggled to bring back to life.

This week, Middletown put out a call to developers to propose redevelopment plans for the area. Those applications are due next week and the final plan is due by the fall, reports the Asbury Park Press.

Scharfenberger is welcoming developers — and anyone from the community — to pitch ideas for the area.

“We’re envisioning shops in there, a few restaurants, maybe a maritime museum that could share the history of the Bayshore region,” he told Patch in an interview when he first took office. “With its location, and the ferry right there, and the views ... it could be so tremendous. Perhaps something similar to the Tuckerton Seaport, but maybe even better than that.”

Here is the schedule, according to a bid document Middletown released to the Asbury Park Press:

• April 28: Deadline for interested consultants to submit proposals
• April 29: Consultant selected
• May 31: Design meeting with all stakeholders
• June 14: Public meeting to discuss design concepts
• July 11: Review draft plan with township
• July 25: Final draft plan due
• Aug. 15: Ordinance introduced at township committee meeting
• Sept. 7: Planning board review of plan
• Sept. 19: Township committee hearing on plan
• Sept. 20: Final plan delivered to the township

Photo: Belford Harbor in Middletown, By LittleGun - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20352184