By Allison Perrine
HOLMDEL – The township is looking to expand its Open Space Trust Fund and will ask residents to weigh in on a 1-cent rate increase per $100 of assessed home valuation this November.
Should the public question on the Nov. 2 election ballot be approved by voters, it will be the first increase to the trust fund in 21 years. It will cost residents 3.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, bringing the average household contribution total to about $245 per year as opposed to $175 per year.
The goal is to acquire “high-risk properties” that might other wise be developed and to contribute to land acquisition costs, recreational improvements, floodplain protection, maintenance and upkeep and more.
“We have a choice to make, whether we let our valuable properties devalue themselves to a point where they may not be able to be restored, or do we invest in (them) and be able to have (them) as par t of our community, something that we could be proud of,” said Mayor Greg Buontempo at an Aug. 10 meeting when the topic was presented to the public.
Holmdel’s Open Space Trust Fund was established in 1998 when residents paid 1 cent per $100 of equalized valuation into it each year. Two years later, it increased to 2.5 cents per $100. Since then, the township has collected just over $15.8 million for the fund and has spent “just under” that amount, said township administrator Cherron Rountree. It has helped Holmdel maintain over 300 acres of parks facilities to date along with other open spaces such as DePalma Farm, Two Brooks, F&F Nurseries, Callan Farm and HMF.
“We’ve been very active with our Open Space Trust Fund,” said Rountree. “The aesthetic, the beautiful bucolic nature of our town, the environmental benefits and just the character of Holmdel are part of the reasons why we value it so much.” And the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated how vital open spaces are in Holmdel when individuals flocked to the township’s parks in search of a safe place to meet with others and social distance amid the state-imposed shutdowns of most businesses and stores, she added.
Should the increase be approved, it will go into effect in 2022 and will impact the average household by about $70, costing residents an average of $245 annually. According to Rountree, the first thing the township would do with the additional funds is acquire “high-risk proper ties” that have potential to be developed, such as parcels on West Farm, Red Hill Road, Holmdel Road and Van Brackle Road.
“One of the things that we see now, especially as a result of COVID, is people are leaving more urban areas and they want to come into suburban areas,” she said. “So trying to protect the open space that we do have” is important. Other future possibilities include recreational improvements to trails and bikeways, playgrounds, athletic fields and ADA-compliance throughout the township, as well as the preservation of the historic Harding House and farmlands.
Currently, there are three vacant lots listed for sale, including a 23-acre property zoned industrial and agricultural listed for $1.6 million or $69,565 per acre; a 3.24-acre parcel listed for $400,000 or $123,457 per acre; and a 4-acre lot listed for $550,000 or $137,500 per acre. The prices continue to rise, Rountree said.
“Timing is always of the essence when we are doing acquisitions and having the money readily available will make it much more enticing to a potential seller if we would want to acquire a space,” said Rountree.
Buontempo said the township has been in talks with owners of multiple properties looking to sell their land and he told residents that he knows “firsthand” that those proper ties are being “aggressively sought after by developers.”
“This is probably our last chance to make any impact on the town before developers make the changes that they want or they’re going to try to make changes which is going to create congestion, overcrowding, etc.,” said Buontempo. “So for the town to be able to have more open space, more potential recreation fields – this is, I think, our best opportunity in this year’s referendum to let the voters decide if they want the township committee to acquire more open space.”
This article originally appeared in the Aug. 19-25, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
