What Comes Next for the Lawn Beside the Fair Haven Dock Starts at the Water's Edge

At the bottom of Fair Haven Road, between the fishing pier and the slips at Fair Haven Yacht Works, there's a stretch of new grass with nothing on it yet. No benches, no paths, no sign. As of June 16, 2026, the borough had cleared the old structure from the lot and graded and seeded it, according to administrator Christopher York in The Two River Times.

That empty lawn at 21 Fair Haven Road is set to become Fair Haven's next riverfront park. Most of the money is already lined up. What sets the pace now is what the line between the grass and the Navesink ends up being made of, and how cars get down a narrow residential street to reach it.

Fourteen Years From Storm Damage to Seed

The lot has been waiting a long time.

1. 2012: The house at 21 Fair Haven Road was one of only two homes in Fair Haven badly damaged in Superstorm Sandy, and it then stood empty for close to a decade, York told The Two River Times.
2. Around 2024: The borough bought the property, roughly two years before that March 2026 report.
3. Fall 2025: The house came down.
4. February 11, 2026: The parks and recreation department showed the council its first concept plans.
5. June 2026: The lot was graded and seeded.
6. July 4, 2026: Mayor Josh Halpern's summer message invited residents to the July 4th procession "down Fair Haven Road to our new riverfront park space."

So the lot was the procession's destination before it had a final design. Parks and Recreation Director D.J. Breckenridge has described a "passive park design" for walking, sitting and nature observation, a place for "walk and talks," music and nature education for all ages. He set that against "loud obstructive sport complexes and playgrounds," per the same Two River Times report.

Where the Money Stands

York put the total project at $1.275 million. Here's how the funding looked as of the late-October council agendas:

The state grant and the borough's matching share together equal the $1.275 million total, so the rows don't add up to a bigger project. In March, York said the borough would fund the remaining $956,250 itself without taking on debt, while also seeking other money, including a Monmouth County Open Space grant. The county grant on the October 13 agenda is one of those outside sources.

The state grant covers a quarter of the total. York was clear about its condition. "This funding is contingent upon the passage of a legislative appropriation at the New Jersey state level," he told The Two River Times. The NJDEP announcement says the same thing: the Garden State Preservation Trust approved the funding list on May 28 and sent it to the Legislature for an appropriations bill. At the September 14 meeting, council members still called the grant "pending."

The October 26 agenda included Resolution 2026-233, which authorizes the mayor to sign the state agreement for project #1314-26-030, titled "Waterfront Access Park." Halpern said in July that the borough "has been very successful with receiving grants for this project." Since the money is close to settled, the open questions are the shoreline and the parking.

The Edge of the River Is the Real Design Question

When the first concept went public in February, a resident at the meeting questioned how much bulkhead the drawing showed, and officials stressed that the concept was not final, as The Two River Times reported.

A bulkhead is an engineered wall that holds back waves and current. A living shoreline uses stone, sand and plants to do that work. Halpern said the borough agreed on which one it wants. "We're working with professionals to see what the best use of that shoreline is, whether it's a living shoreline, which I think everyone is in agreement with that we would prefer," he said. He added that a bulkhead would be next in line if the professionals found a living shoreline wouldn't work on this property. York noted that the living shoreline would also cost less.

Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken is now designing that shoreline, and Stevens is paying for the design itself. York called Stevens "integral in creating the technical guidelines for the development of living shorelines in New Jersey." The work took longer than planned. September 14 minutes say the state asked for more data and limited how Stevens could collect it, and the plan was expected around mid-to-late October.

The design could also bring in more money. York called the site "the perfect project for the blue carbon sequestration program." Environmental Commission chair Kelly Flanagan said the Stevens concept would support an application for NJDEP's Natural Climate Solutions Grant. That program funds projects that build up natural carbon sinks such as salt marshes. A softer edge for the river would also make the park a better candidate for that grant.

Then There's the Question of Getting There

Fair Haven Road is a residential street that dead-ends at the river. When its residents raised traffic concerns, the council promised them a parking and traffic study before the park went forward. On July 27, Halpern called the study a way of "fulfilling a promise that was made to the residents two years ago."

The study covers more than the lot. It includes Fair Haven Road near the historic district, 21 Fair Haven Road, the marina and DeNormandie Avenue. Councilwoman Cole wanted it done during the summer so it would capture the busiest stretch of use around the dock. York estimated the cost at about $15,000 to $20,000. By September 28, he reported a $4,000 discount from the original quote, and Borough Engineer Richard Gardella was lining up the schedule. York also said the results would help Stevens with its concept plan.

Fair Haven Has Tried This Approach Before

Follow DeNormandie Avenue to its end and you reach Williams, Albert and Robards Park on the Navesink. Fair Haven Yacht Works sits between the two sites at 75 De Normandie Avenue. A marina company, Suntex, bought it in 2023, and its website lists winterization and limited winter storage.

The DeNormandie park has its own history. According to a borough release, Charles Williams, a free Black man, built the house there in 1853 on land given to him and his wife Julia as a wedding gift, and their descendants used the home after them. The same release describes a passive park for river views, with four stone benches along a quarry-dust trail.

The way that park came together matches the plan for 21 Fair Haven Road. In 2017, The Two River Times reported on the restoration plan for the beach there, led by the American Littoral Society with design help from Stevens. The plan called for a wider beach, boulders or bags of shell in the water to protect the shoreline, and a small dune with plants. That's the same idea of a natural edge, worked out with the same university, a short walk from the new lawn. The administrator back then, Theresa Casagrande, called the Fair Haven Road dock "probably one of our most used public assets in town."

The Riverfront You Can Use Right Now

The new park has no completion date, and York has said it will be built in phases. In the meantime, these spots along the river are open:

• Fair Haven Dock, at the end of Fair Haven Road, hosted this summer's free "Wednesdays on the Water" concerts. Patch listed dates of July 29, August 5 and August 12, and the borough's events page calls its dock concerts "Sounds At Sunset." There's no bathroom at the dock.
• Battin Road ramp is for small boats and requires a permit. It's open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The 2026 municipal calendar lists annual permits for canoes, kayaks and shells at $50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents.
• Grange Avenue pocket park is finished and is listed among the borough's facilities.
• Williams, Albert and Robards Park at the end of DeNormandie Avenue has benches facing the water.

Next up for 21 Fair Haven Road is the Stevens concept, presented to the council. That drawing will show whether the new park meets the Navesink with stone, sand and plants or with a wall.

We live in Fair Haven, and we've been watching this lot change since the house came down. If you have questions about what the park could mean for your street, The Katz Team is happy to talk it through. Schedule a Call and we'll share what we're hearing about the riverfront and the rest of town.