Alcatel-Lucent Redevelopment Plan Cleared by Planning Board

The Planning Board okayed the township's effort to establish a redevelopment plan that outlines Holmdel's goals for the 472-acre Alcatel-Lucent property.

Board Planner Jennifer Beahm assured the Planning Board members Tuesday that the goals in the redevelopment plan are “wholly consistent” with the goals outlined in the township’s 2004 Master Plan and 2010 re-examination report. The board's role was to scan for inconsistencies, and she found no substantial ones, she said.

The proposed legislation now goes back to the Township Committee for a public hearing and vote to adopt the plan on Tuesday, December 20.

Prior to the board's vote on its determination, Chairman Peter Nelson chose to hear comments by several Holmdel residents who had taken the time to read through the thick Redevelopment Plan on their own, which is available on the township’s website.

Ralph Blumenthal said that the Future Land Use Map of the Master Plan assigns the Alcatel-Lucent tract to the C-OL category and the text of the Master Plan says that the C-OL category is intended primarily to permit offices and research laboratory facilities.  “To me it appears this proposed zoning changes those uses to significantly more uses than what the Master Plan discusses for that property. So to me, that is an inconsistency,” he said.

Jim McCorkel asked if the document's authors were aware that the Alcatel-Lucent site had been approved by the NJDEP Historic Preservation office as a candidate for historic monument status, not only for the Bell Labs buildings and the inventions but also for the landscape architecture. He wondered if the plan would violate the integrity of those structures.

He expressed concern that there is no mention in the report of hazardous waste sites that had been re-mediated, of particular concern because of the underground streams on the land. He said that he believed the responsibility is currently handled by Alcatel-Lucent, and the plan should note who would handle it once they are no longer the owners.

McCorkel also said he could find no mention of a limit to the amount of impervious surfaces, i.e. roadways, parking lots, etc., that would be allowed on the pastoral grounds. “The [proposed] fieldhouse, as I calculated it, is covering eight acres of land. It would increase substantially the impervious surface on that property that would not serve to recharge the streams. So I’m concerned about that as well,” he said.

Anthony Cooper said a 350,000 square foot structure mentioned in the redevelopment report was not clearly explained. He wondered if it referred to a ground coverage or square footage -- a one-story or two-story building.

He added, "I hope that with this in hand the township will be able to strongly defend this plan, and any fallout with respect to the Wastewater Management Plan." 

(At a Oct. 31 meeting between Holmdel officials, the county Planning Board, the NJ DEP and others, NJDEP stated that if Holmdel would change their zoning at the Alcatel-Lucent tract to be consistent with their adopted Master Plan, NJDEP would accept Holmdel's proposal to have only the footprints of the existing buildings in a sewer service area - and not the entire site. A summary of the minutes of that meeting, requested by Patch, is attached to this article.)

Sam Shramko said he was surprised the redevelopment plan allowed for 30 single family homes on the site. "If you look at cost of services for different uses, residential is sort of a net-loss, long term," he said.

Board Chairman Nelson said that the testimony would be passed along the Township Committe.

Should the Township Committee vote to approve the ordinance to adopt the redevelopment plan, the real work is just starting, said Holmdel Business Administrator Andy Katz in an interview last week. Before joining Holmdel Township this fall, Katz helped guide redevelopment plans in places like in Los Angeles County and Galloway Township, NJ.

“Once a redevelopment plan is in place, then the energy will be in the execution of the plan,” he said.

A redevelopment plan is a tool used by a municipality to make a hard-to-sell piece of property more attractive to a buyer. It could be an area in need of rehabilitation, or one unlikely to redevelop on its own or with normal market dynamics. The redevelopment plan reflects the community goals and expands the potential mixed-uses of the property through zoning. 

The municipality has a vested interest in motivating a buyer to step forward and occupy the property, in order to generate taxable income. They may actually take an active role in advertising the property through a structured Request for Proposal process, advertising in trade journals, or even attending trade shows.

“Redevelopment plans are complex, and can take 20 years to build out,” he said.