The exterior deck of the River Rock Marina Bar & Grill, Brick, N.J. (Credit: River Rock/ Facebook)
A proposed expansion of the River Rock Restaurant and Marina Bar in Brick Township has been given the go-ahead by the township’s planning board.
Following a hearing last month, the planning board ultimately voted Dec. 11 to approve a resolution authorizing the popular bar and restaurant to begin a two-phase plan to expand what is currently an outdoor portion of the facility to a “three season” enclosed space, renovate the interior with new features, and add an outdoor stage.
Located on the Manasquan River at 1600 Route 70, beside the Sept. 11 Memorial Bridge, River Rock operates a full-service restaurant alongside a popular outdoor deck and a tiki bar set in sand. The most significant portion of the restaurant’s expansion plan is to install what is described as a “three season enclosure” on top of the existing outdoor deck overlooking the river and the marina facility attached to the restaurant. The work will include adding a roof to this portion of the restaurant along with the removal glass windows. The formal roof and windows will replace what is now a retractable awning installed over the deck, making the area suitable for guests on all but the coldest times of year.
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The new system will allow the restaurant to automatically open and close the deck to the elements, meaning it could continue to be used not only during chilly weather, but during rainy days any time of year.
“The proposed system is more substantially constructed and can withstand substantial wind loads,” a report from an engineering consulting firm stated.
The first phase of the project will also include a new outdoor stage and interior renovations to the restaurant as a whole. The renovations were referred to in the engineering report as a “complete remodel.”
The exterior deck of the River Rock Marina Bar & Grill, Brick, N.J. (Credit: River Rock/ Facebook)
As part of a second phase, the planning board approved a plan that would reconfigure a portion of the business’s parking lot. Currently, there are 149 parking stalls reserved exclusively for the restaurant in its direct parking area, with about 10 stalls in the southeast corner within a dead-end lane. The loading zone and trash enclosure in this same area has been deemed by the restaurant to be too small, and delivery trucks often have a difficult time accessing the site. The dead-end parking will be eliminated and the easternmost portion of the lot will be reconfigured under the restaurant’s plan, with the addition of a pedestrian walkway between the restaurant and separate liquor store to the south. Two islands will be constructed with lighting in order to illuminate a pedestrian path and increase security, while also creating a safer traffic flow.
While, at first glance, the plan may seem as if spaces might be eliminated, the overall number of parking stalls would increase from 149 to 171 due to the efficiencies of the design, consultants testified.
Finally, the trash and recycling enclosure will be replaced with a more substantial masonry structure that will be gated and feature both truck and personal entrances.
