Former Vonage Site Referred To Holmdel Planners For Study

HOLMDEL, NJ —The Township Committee has directed the Planning Board to study if the former 88-acre Vonage site in Holmdel should be designated an area in need of redevelopment - as requested by the owner of the property.

The township received a letter Oct. 24 from 23 Main Street Propco, LLC, Bloomfield, the owner of Block 13, Lot 15, requesting that the property be considered for redevelopment for non-condemnation purposes.

The committee voted at its Nov. 21 meeting to refer a study to the Planning Board, but did pull back from a plan to have Township Planner Jennifer Beahm work on the redevelopment study.

The Planning Board planner is Kate Keller, who would be expected to work with the board to study the redevelopment issue. The committee withdrew any action on Beahm at this time. Planning Board member Ron Emma had questioned the role of the township planner in the study, saying he felt a board study should be conducted by the board's own planner.

As of Thursday, the Planning Board staff said action on the redevelopment study is not currently on an upcoming board agenda. The Dec. 5 board meeting was cancelled, and, with the approach of the end of the year and the upcoming reorganization of government boards, it was not clear if the matter will be before the Planning Board this year. The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m.

The Township Committee, under the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, voted on Nov. 21 to:

• "Authorize and request that the Planning Board undertake a preliminary investigation of Block 13, Lot 15 to determine whether the delineated area constitutes being designated as an 'area in need of redevelopment' for non-condemnation purposes."
• Authorize the Township Administrator, Township Planner and Township Attorney to take any "necessary and appropriate actions in connection with the redevelopment investigation and planning of the area."

Concept plans for the site were released under an Open Public Records Act request from the public.

The renderings show a 453-unit complex under consideration, including plans for assisted living and skilled care. The plans now indicate 182 existing units; 90 new units; 48 cottages; 44 skilled units and 89 assisted living.

This action would follow the redevelopment process applied in the recent purchase of the Crawford Hill property, site of the Horn antenna.

At this point in the process, there may not be an ability disclose many matters publicly, said Township Attorney Michael L. Collins.

In response to a question from the public, Collins said he could say "confidently" that there are "no offers or guarantees of any particular outcome that support any individual completing a private purchase. That was in their own discretion," he said referring to the Propco company's purchase.

Mayor DJ Lucarelli added that right now there are "just talks about what could potentially work there. . . .There are no guarantees - I can guarantee it," he added.

Vonage headquarters made the short move from its vast 23 Main St. site to Bell Works in August 2022.

Vonage "helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation" with offices across the globe and more than 2,200 employees worldwide, a news release from Bell Works said at the time.

And recently, its property was sold to Propco.

The sale of the 350,000-square-foot building was Oct. 13 with a sales price of $17.5 million, according to information on app.com, adding that a deed lists the buyer as 23 Main Street Propco LLC, an affiliate of Community Healthcare Associates, a Bloomfield developer.