-- The city and a state historic preservation agency have agreed to the demolition of the Palace Amusements building under certain conditions, according to a letter written by Asbury Park's waterfront redevelopment rights holder and endorsed by the City Council.
The parties also agreed to the demolition, again with conditions, of the portion of the Casino building which extends over the beach.
The letter is based on meetings and discussions between the state's Historic Preservation Office, Asbury Partners LLC and council members John Loffredo and Kate Mellina. It was written by Larry Fishman of Asbury Partners and sent to the state Department of Environmental Protection in connection with the review process mandated by the state's Coastal Area Facilities Review Act.
The council voted 4-0 at this week's meeting to support the letter.
"Asbury Partners will be allowed to demolish the Palace Amusement building and rebuild on this site a new structure related to a hotel/retail complex," the letter reads. The new building would be "similar in volume" to the existing one and have up to three floors of commercial space.
According to the letter, the developer, the city and its Technical Review Committee will "identify certain parts of the existing wall that will be relocated and/or preserved."
"Preserved section(s) of wall will be incorporated into a new hotel development or retail development at this location, for example in the lobby and/or relocated to a new site," the letter says. "The 'Images' of the existing Palace Amusement Building shall be incorporated into the design and 'flavor' of the new structure for the site.
The state and the city have agreed with Asbury Partners' assessment that the 29,000-square-foot "arena" section of the Casino "has such structural problems that this part of the building must be demolished."
"Asbury Partners will be allowed to rebuild on the footprint of the former arena [section] a new three-level commercial structure that will be the same height as the original building," according to the letter. "The design of the new commercial section shall be visually compatible with the remaining sections of the Casino.
This new addition shall be a steel frame structure with masonry and glass fa�ade similar in scale, character, color and detail to the original arena structure."
The letter confirms that Asbury Partners still wants the option to use Bradley Park for event parking in connection with Convention Hall and the Paramount Theatre. According to the letter, the state historic preservation office has also consented to the demolition of the Arthur Pryor bandshell atop the Fifth Avenue pavilion and its replacement with "more rentable space."