Latest on the MAC, full Press story for Friday

By CAROL GORGA WILLIAMS
COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU

WEST LONG BRANCH — The Zoning Board of Adjustment will hold a special meeting Feb. 8 to
consider the scaled down plan for a Multi-Activity Center at Monmouth University.
The board Thursday night agreed unanimously to let the university reopen its application.
However, it voted 6-1 to limit the scope of the reconsideration to traffic, parking and
conditions placed on the operations of the proposed center, such as number of "capacity"
events scheduled there.
In deciding to consider the modified plan for the center, or MAC, the board said it
determined a mistake was made during its deliberations on the previous application when a
board member said he talked to the police chief about that lack of traffic plan for the center
when an informal plan exists.
The school made the request to the board nearly six weeks after an earlier proposal failed
to generate the necessary five affirmative votes needed for approval.
Monmouth University President Paul G. Gaffney II commented that "reasonable people can
come to reasonable accommodations" when he said earlier this month he would ask the board to
consider the revised plan.
The scaled-down Multi-Activity Center would have 720 fewer seats — down to 4,122 — and
would host 12 "capacity'' events a year instead of the 25 originally planned. Capacity events
are expected to attract 4,000 or more. The $34-million-arena would host basketball games and
feature an indoor track, the university bookstore, athletic department offices, the Varsity
Club, classrooms and a fitness center.
Under the previous design, the center would have had 4,842 seats, a reduction from the
6,000 initially envisioned in a plan that was not financially feasible, Gaffney has said.
After nearly a year of hearings, the zoning board Dec. 14 voted 4-3 to approve the plan.
But because the application sought a use variance, it required five affirmative votes for
approval so the application failed.
The board members who opposed the application — Ellen Anfuso, Douglas Bostwick and John M.
Aria — are all relatively recent appointments to the board.
They did not offer specific reasons for their votes, while board secretary Irven Miller and
board Chairman Rocco W. Christopher listed reasons the plan should be approved.
During hearings for the arena, which would be built on two temporary parking lots
northeast of Boylan gym, neighbors complained of noise, parking and traffic concerns.


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