Memory Care Center Building in Herbertsville Gets OK For Expansion

Serenity Gardens at Brick. (Google Earth)

A memory care center that primarily treats patients with Alzheimer’s disease and forms of dementia was granted permission to expand by Brick Township’s zoning board.

The application concerned Serenity Homes, which operates the care center at 320 Herbertsville Road, at the intersection of 20th Avenue. The care center is bordered by 19th and 20th avenues to its east and west, and a residential neighborhood behind it, to its south. It was built in the early 2000s when the parcel it occupied on Herbertsville Road was differently zoned; it is now included in the township’s “Village Zone,” which was created to spur more business development and building improvements along the main thoroughfare in the northern portion of town.

The 1,523-square-foot expansion will add a two-floor addition on the north side along 20th Avenue, and increase the total number of beds from 19 to 23. The first floor of the addition will include a new common area and office space, along with a covered deck accessible by a ramp. The second floor will add five bedrooms, restrooms and a laundry room.

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Serenity Gardens at Brick. (Planning Document)

Serenity Gardens at Brick. (Planning Document)

Site improvements include adding a second driveway on 19th Avenue, increasing parking from five to 10 spaces, new landscaping with seven additional trees, a grading wall, and other enhancements. The project also involves relocating the existing monument sign and adding features such as a paver patio.

The facility previously operated under prior variances as a non-conforming dementia care use. The Board of Adjustment granted the necessary variances to allow the expansion, including relief for use, setbacks, parking and buffering – the vast majority of which were reaffirmations of already-existing variances. The board recommended the building be outfitted with vinyl siding and asphalt shingles to match the existing structure.