By Sunayana Prabhu
HOLMDEL – After nearly two decades of suburban expansion, shifting land use and increasing environmental concerns, the township’s environmental commission has released the long-awaited update to its Environmental Resource Inventory (ERI) – an essential document that provides a detailed inventory of the town’s natural assets and vulnerabilities, essentially a lens for officials to evaluate development decisions in town.
The new ERI draft was developed with a grant from Sustainable Jersey and prepared by planning consultants from the Boonton-based nonprofit Land Conservancy of New Jersey. It replaces the previous version finalized in 2000. With this update, Holmdel joins a growing number of municipalities, such as Red Bank and Tinton Falls, among others, that have reassessed their environmental planning amid rising development pressures and climate volatility.
“The impetus for doing this was just that it was time. It had been 20 (years), we were working with an old document, and we didn’t feel like it was very accurate,” Karen Strickland, chair of the Holmdel Environmental Commission, said, crediting the Holmdel Green Team for securing the Sustainable Jersey grant.
The old document didn’t include many of the topics the commission now sees as vital, like climate change, updated hydrology data, and the overall impact of development.
Strickland said one of the biggest changes from the previous draft was the “decline in forests and agriculture and increase in urban (areas), which leads to an increase in our impervious surfaces.” She also noted that new state regulations now enforce stormwater management. “Rain and drought(s) have to be taken into consideration” since they largely contribute to current flooding problems.
Given the shifts in climate and development, the new ERI document “is not an update,” Strickland opined. “This is now a new document.”
The ERI is a state-mandated resource required of every municipality. Although not regulatory in itself, the ERI will be added to the township’s master plan. The document will serve as a guide for officials when considering zoning, land use and conservation policies. Strickland said the revised document is both a planning tool and a call for public par ticipation: “It’s basically a community resource of what we have in our environment.”
The commission will formally present the ERI at the upcoming planning board meeting July 1. Residents are encouraged to offer feedback. The complete ERI draft is also posted on the township’s website.
Strickland said the commission is looking to invite the community to add to anything that’s missing – a local stream, a species habitat – or note any inconsistency.
Covering 13 chapters, the ERI is more than 100 pages long and provides a sweeping overview of Holmdel’s geology, soil systems, hydrology, climate data and land use. It pays particular attention to the Swimming River watershed – a source of drinking water for more than 300,000 residents in Monmouth County – and to the Waackaack Creek in the north, where flooding has become a more persistent concern.
According to the ERI, Holmdel, which spans 18 square miles and is home to approximately 17,400 residents, has undergone considerable change since its first natural resource inventory in 1980. Between 1986 and 2020, there was a nearly 14% increase in Holmdel’s urban land cover, primarily due to new residential and commercial development, accompanied by a nearly 50% reduction in agricultural land. Forests and wetlands declined slightly, while barren land and water coverage rose marginally.
Even with such changes, the township retains notable ecological significance. The ERI shows that more than two-thirds of the township’s surface water is classified by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) as Category 1, the highest level of ecological importance. Category 1 streams offer habitats for endangered species and provide critical recharge to groundwater supplies.
The natural systems are still strong, per the ERI. The report also clarifies that while the document provides critical baseline data, each development should be reviewed independently through on-site assessments.
The township’s environmental commission and green team hope the document helps guide decisions that can balance growth with long-term sustainability.
As the township begins its planning process to fulfill state-mandated affordable housing projects and comply with the Fair Share Housing Law, development is expected to continue across the region. Holmdel’s leadership views the ERI as a means of protecting what remains – from farmland to forest, from streams to species.
The article originally appeared in the June 5 – 11, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
