Soccer Complex Proposed in Holmdel, But Not All Are Fans

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By Laura D.C. Kolnoski     
A new outdoor soccer complex is being considered for a large tract of land in Holmdel.
The proposal is to create a complex of eight sports fields (five of them synthetic) with bleachers, a building with restrooms and a concession stand, a general purpose field, and a paved 406-space parking lot on a 92-acre Holmdel lot bordered by County Route 520 (Main Street /Newman Springs Road), State Route 34, and County Road 4 (South Holmdel Road).
Some residents in Colts Neck are opposing the plan, saying Holmdel Township never formally notified neighbors that the land in their backyards, in a Rural Conservation Zone, had been approved for sports complex use by Holmdel’s governing body last September.
“When we moved here in 2012, our lawyer was diligent and explored what was happening with the land,” said Steven Candela, who lives on Saddle Ridge Road in Colts Neck, a neighborhood that overlooks the pastoral tract, which includes portions of Willow Brook, wetlands and stream corridors. “It was a conservation area. Nothing like this was expected.”
Candela says he has reached out to 60 households in the area bordering Holmdel, hired attorney Ronald Gasiorowski of Red Bank, and has filed a lawsuit in Superior Court. “Our legal position was that the ordinance was not validly passed,” said Gasiorowski. “Notice was not given to the property owners, so the Holmdel Township Committee did not have jurisdiction to pass the ordinance. If we are successful and they pass a new ordinance, we would still oppose the application. It’s a huge commercial enterprise in what has been a rural farm area for hundreds of years.”
Colts Neck residents fear the soccer complex, as proposed by Holmdel GAA Complex LLC, would bring unwelcome traffic, bright lights and noise.
Candela said, “The site includes wetlands and streams that leads to drinking water. The proposal includes synthetic fields with concrete stanchions for 80-foot lights, in an environmentally sensitive area where there will be runoff.”
The Holmdel Planning Board has requested the applicant address reasons supporting the granting of variances, design waivers, overall options and proposed uses of the site; whether the facility would be open to the general public or by membership only; and how tournaments would be handled. According to member Serena DiMaso, a former Holmdel Mayor who is also the Deputy Director of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for March 17. As of Feb. 18, it had not yet been announced whether the applicant will appear on that date.
According to Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds, Holmdel GAA Complex LLC was originally interested in constructing the sports complex slated to be part of the Bell Labs/Lucent redevelopment in Holmdel on Crawfords Corner Road currently underway by Somerset Development. But when Capelli’s “vision didn’t fit” with Somerset’s, the applicant looked elsewhere and found the former farm site in Holmdel Village. The farm property, once known as Inverness, had been approved by Holmdel for 17 homes and a nine-hole golf course which were never developed.
The Colts Neck Township Committee sent a letter to Holmdel Township officials expressing their concerns. “In any project or topic in Colts Neck, our Township Committee is always concerned about quality of life issues; particularly traffic impact, noise and light pollution,” said Colts Neck Mayor James Schatzle. “That’s what we wrote in the letter. We want the Holmdel Planning Board and Township Committee to remember that regarding projects that border our town.”
Mayor Hinds, who also sits on the Planning Board, said he remains committed to doing what’s best for Holmdel and listening to the residents’ concerns. “We have a proven history of doing what’s right for the environment and the DEP has strict regulations. Our legal team and professionals will direct me from here,” he said, adding, “We want something first class that fits into the character of Holmdel. Some of these beautiful pieces of land will be sold. We can’t always sell to homes. If we have other opportunities, we have to look at that.”
Candela remains concerned whether the complex is right for Colts Neck. “My neighbors and I moved to this part of New Jersey because it’s rural, pastoral and quiet. This is a corporate entity building this. It will have adult as well as children’s leagues, with hundreds and thousands of people coming in,” he said.