By Sunayana Prabhu
SHREWSBURY – In a victory for residents advocating for the preservation of a residential property at 942 Broad St., next to Manson Park, the borough council unanimously voted to purchase the site for open space.
The long-debated “Judd property,” which abuts the park, will add nearly three more acres to borough lands and serve as a natural park expansion while meeting the community’s and officials’ goals to preserve more open space in the borough.
Less than a handful of residents attended the April 8 meeting during which the council authorized the purchase of the Judd property from developer Martelli at 942 Broad LLC. This was a stark contrast to the packed land use meetings in 2023 when the company’s application to convert the residential parcel with an existing single-family home into an office building drew wide-spread opposition from residents who stayed beyond the three-hour timeline to push back on the plan.
The 3.44-acre parcel, heavily wooded and adjacent to Manson Field, the Shrewsbury Municipal Complex, and the Thornbrooke active adult community, sits near several historic landmarks, including the Allen House, Christ Church and the Quaker Meeting House.
On behalf of “the community and a lot of people” who have been asking for the preservation of the Judd property, resident Jay Eaton said, “Thank you for pursuing it. I know that was a very long and complicated process.”
The borough has allocated nearly $1.3 million for the property acquisition, supported by a bond ordinance approved Feb. 11. Borough officials plan to use a combination of Monmouth County and municipal open space grants to fund the purchase.
“We’re hoping the county approves us for a 75% grant for it, so they’ll pick up 75%. We can absolutely cover the rest from our open space money,” said borough administrator and land use board member Christopher Cherbini during the meeting, which happened to be his last one at Shrewsbury. He will be joining Holmdel as township administrator, replacing Jay Delaney. Cherbini has served Shrewsbury for over four years.
“To put a business there was a little tough for people to swallow,” Cherbini said after the Tuesday meeting. “We ended up being able to work with the owner and get something done. And it’s a benefit for the community.”
In 2023, Martelli, then in a contract purchase with the original owner of the property, proposed renovating the existing house into a “limited-use office building” that he said would be the most “benign” adaptive reuse for the site, which was in disrepair. He also included several offers to make his proposal attractive, promising to cull one acre from the parcel for borough open space, in addition to several restrictions on vehicle usage, subleasing and medical use. However, residents of Thornbrooke cited concerns about traffic and environmental impacts, leading to continued opposition and the eventual rejection of the application.
“Martelli came here with different ideas and different thoughts of what he wanted to build after I was appointed. We weren’t sure what was happening, so I reached out to him,” Mayor Kimberly Eulner said. In the months following her mayoral appointment, she convinced Martelli to sell to the borough. “We want open space. That’s what the people want.”
Eulner indicated that the existing house on the property will eventually be demolished, transforming the lot into additional green space that could serve the community’s “physical and mental wellness.”
The acquisition is part of the borough’s ongoing efforts to preserve and expand open land. While immediate development plans for the Manson Park expansion are not finalized, council members suggested potential amenities could include extending walking trails or adding park amenities.
“I don’t have any intention to put pickleball courts there or anything that will be noisy and bring more traffic,” Eulner clarified. “I think it should just be a peaceful place and an extension of Manson Park.”
The article originally appeared in the April 17 – 23, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
