The Toms River Business Improvement District, known as Downtown Toms River, moves forward with plans to help revitalize the district with the help of new leadership.

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On WOBM-AM's Townsquare Tonight, Downtown Toms River's Interim Executive Director Bill Golkiewicz describes the mission of the entire team:

"To help develop the downtown area, help to bring newer businesses in or housing, to get the people of Toms River and Ocean County back down into the downtown Toms River area to really enjoy it for what it is," said Golkiewicz.

A major lynchpin of that plan includes establishing a business incubator that offers mentorship and affordable work space to young entrepreneurs. Golkiewicz said the Downtown Toms River Development Corporation recently purchased the Tommy's restaurant on main street to turn it into a business incubator.

"The new young business person has an idea of what they want to start but yet they don't have the capitol behind them to be able to come in and rent a big store front. So this gives them an opportunity to start their business at a lower rent so they could develop their business, they could still have people come in, look at what they're selling and grow," he explains.

Downtown Toms River also has a number of abandoned structures and vacant buildings. To that, Golkiewicz offers a challenge.

"I will put this out. We are looking for developers who are interested in coming down, looking at the area, our own local developers, to look at these properties and develop them and that's what's going to revitalize this downtown area."

Other than street fairs and cruise nights, Golkiewicz has several ideas of what will draw people to the downtown area and keep them coming back.

"If they know that new stores are coming. If they know there's new retail. If they know that there's different style restaurants opening in up in the downtown area, that's what's going to bring them back," he said.

One vision of the new downtown (Artist Rendering), Photo Credit to Downtown Toms River
One vision of the new downtown (Artist Rendering), Photo Credit to Downtown Toms River
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