Lucent Property Plans Include 225 Homes, Assisted Living Space

A Toll Brothers housing development, hotel and public library are in the plans for the former Bell Labs Laboratory property.

On Monday, representatives from Somerset Developers, Toll Brothers and Community Health Care gave 100 Holmdel residents a glimpse of what the future of the 2.1 million-square-foot building and surrounding property may hold.

New site plans include 40 single-family homes, up to 185 age-restricted homes, a public library, satellite college space, a medical center with an assisted living space, hotel, and office and retail space. Other plans for the land surrounding the center include outdoor recreation, a parking lot with 4,000 spaces and a community clubhouse with a swimming pool.

“You can see why we are very excited about this project,” said Mayor Patrick Impreveduto.

Ralph Zucker, president of Somerset Development, said adjustments were made to the initial plans after listening to resident’s feedback provided through their website and reading comments on news sites. The revised plan is projected to have a $389,925,000 value and bring in more than $5 million in taxes to Holmdel.

At the center of development is the five-story atrium building that once housed Bell Labs. While Zucker wants to keep the structural integrity of the building, but is looking to install the library, a retail room and restaurant space on the first level of the building and a surgi-center, satellite college space and office space in the basement level and other floors.

Zucker said the plan holds true to the 2012 redevelopment plan approved for building but includes a housing component.

The age-restricted homes, targeted towards adults 55 and older, would be 2,700 to 3,5000 square feet and start in the $600,00 price range, said Chris Gaffney, group president for Toll Brothers. The 40 single-family homes –starting at $1 million- would be customizable in design. In order to satisfy the 20 percent designation for the affordable living component of the project, up to 45 beds in the assisted living facility will be allocated toward affordable living.

Somerset is also working with Community Healthcare Associates to develop the medical center in the atrium building. Somerset has agreed to lease 400,000 square feet for medical space over three to four years.

While some residents were excited by the new design especially the library and economic revival the center would bring, many voiced concern about the traffic impact, the feasibility of the adult living homes, and the environmental impact of the new design for sprawled houses on the property.

“You are ruining one of the greatest landscape architects works,” said Carol Beckenstein.

Beckenstein, whose home borders the Lucent property, said she is concerned that the housing development would force her and her neighbors to connect to the township’s sewer service and would cause further trouble with water levels in the Swimming River basin.

Former Committeeman Larry Fink also expressed concerned with conservation of the environment, asking Zucker and other present to revisit their site layout after addressing the developer’s plan not to include agricultural land originally preserved in the redevelopment plan submitted to the planning board.

Zucker said the company would address further questions and concerns in upcoming public hearings and through the Somerset Holmdel website.

Currently, the property is owned by Alcatel-Lucent, but Somerset Developers is close to closing the property in the next few months. Once the property is closed, developers must wait for site plan approval to occupy and develop.

Once plans are submitted to the planning board, a public hearing will be scheduled with the planning board, which will then notify residents living within 200 feet of the site, and hold a hearing.