Plans Approved on Lucent Property Despite Questions of Greenery in Lot

With a unanimous vote, the Holmdel Planning Board approved the first phase of redevelopment for the the Lucent property, including the consolidation of the existing property and subdividing it into five lots.

The council asked to defer discussion about the amount of greenery in the parking area until a future time, after debate about the subject resulted in a lengthy meeting.

Leonard Savino, associate partner at Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. and civil engineer, said plans for the lot include restriping the parking lot, adding a guide-rail along the parking area, adding lighting fixtures and cleaning up some of the landscape.

Developers intend to keep with the current flow of stormwater management, with inlets to the west and east of the entrances and continuing water flow into the rear pond. The pond acts as part of the storm water retention before it eases into Hop Brook.  Developers also plan to keep the original heliport in place.

“Because the site was designed by a famous architect we are trying to maintain his vision,” Savino said. “The design he created we wanted to maintain.”

One of the board’s largest concerns arose over greenery in the parking area. Developers were seeking variance relief from an ordinance which demands greenery after every eight parking spaces.

“Pure blacktop would be frowned upon,” Deputy Mayor Eric Hinds said. “The one per eight spaces may not be the solution but there are other options that could be explored.”

There is an extraordinary expense with changing this parking lot, said Michael Bruno, attorney for the applicant.

“We just can’t comply.” Bruno said.

Ralph Zucker said the architectural symmetry of the property is going to be ruined by adding trees.

“Done properly it will be prohibitive and would ruin the effect of the architecture,” he said, adding that developers are looking toward possibly adding solar panels to the lot area but solar plans have not yet been established.

Sign designer Anthony Barbieri is working with Somerset and had designed signs for Bell Labs and Lucent property. While there were little definite plans, Barbieri said the signs would assist people on the site as well as getting to the site and leaving the site.

“The only signs that we thought would be necessary to be illuminated would be the signs over the entrances so during the winter people could see these signs,” he said.

The monument sign on Crawford’s Corner Road that once depicted the Lucent Labs sign would also be replaced.

Wildlife

Jenni Blumenthal, chairwoman of the Shade Tree Commission in Holmdel, said she listened with ears wide open regarding the replacement shrubbery on the property.

While she and the commission have not meet to discuss the property shrubbery plans, she hopes to establish a meeting between the Planning Board’s Planner and representatives from Somerset Development.

“Hostas are the favorite snack tray of deer in Holmdel,” she said, reiterating the importance of a meeting.

Clifton Ting was concerned about wildlife on the property especially the deer population.

“Since the closing of Lucent, over the past 20 years, we see more deer coming to our property,” Ying said. “The deer are not going to evaporate and with the increase in the deer population in the recent years, I think a coordinated effort needs to be done.”

Ting said in the past three weeks, he’s seen more than three new fawns with their mothers on his property.

Another problem on the Lucent property is geese, Blumenthal said.

“There is no reason to clean up around the pond,” she said, adding the greenery keeps the geese away.

Previously property owners placed pink flamingoes in the pond to scare away the geese but even those had to be cleaned off weekly, she said.

“We do not have plans for wildlife but we would be willing to talk with Township Committee for suggestions on how to handle the situation,” Bruno said.

Traffic

Holmdel resident Irene Sullivan was concerned about traffic on Middletown Road including whether the studies included the school year traffic observations.

Traffic studies that took counts during the school year, June and as late as July, have been complete until the year 2022 with traffic moderation expected to occur once the building is occupied, said Karl Pehnke, Senior Associate at Langan Engineering & Environmental Services who conducted the traffic survey for the project.

As for the next phase, the Planning Board will review the application once submitted. A condition to it’s introduction is that 20 percent of the building be occupied, which has already been met with the 400,000 sq. foot proposed medical center.