Redevelopment Designation For Nokia Site Before Holmdel Tuesday

HOLMDEL, NJ — The Township Committee is expected to accept the Planning Board's recommendation that the site of the Nokia building on Holmdel Road is an area in need of redevelopment for condemnation purposes, the third parcel there owned by Crawford Hill Holdings properties, with the other two already designated as such.

The committee will vote on the board's recommendation at its meeting on Tuesday (7 p.m. executive session, with the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m.) at Township Hall.

The property includes two lots (6 and 6.01) already designated for an eminent domain process. The third lot where the Nokia building is, Lot 7, is also owned by would-be developer Rakesh Antala, principal of Crawford Hill Holdings.

The National Historic Landmark Horn antenna is on a lot next to the Nokia site and was used as part of the former Bell Labs for research. It was designated a landmark for its role decades ago in confirming the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe.

Nokia purchased the properties from Bell Labs, and Crawford Hill Holdings since purchased the property from Nokia.

The resolution concurring with the Planning Board's redevelopment investigation lays out in detail the facts supporting the designation, as presented Sept. 5 by the township planning professional, Kate Keller.

It also summarized the arguments by Crawford Hill Holdings to support its view that the building is viable and should not be considered an area in need of redevelopment/condemnation.

You can see the full resolution here, but in summary, the resolution cites Keller's study of the 50,000-square-foot building and surrounding area and its finding that it meets the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law criteria A (the building is substandard) and B (it has been vacant for more than two years and is in an "untenantable" condition).

Among the findings, the township report notes that the building has been unoccupied since December 2020; has an outdated, functionally obsolete layout that is impracticable for use by tenants outside the specialized research field for which it was designed; the obsolescence and lack of tenancy has resulted in a pattern of crime and deterioration on the site, and the area is being monitored for environmental contamination that has persisted for many years.

The committee was not swayed by arguments from professionals for the the owner that building is viable and has had some interest from potential buyers, who were discouraged from buying because of continuing legal issues surrounding the nearby lots, according to the resolution.

On Nov. 22, 2022, the Holmdel Township Committee authorized and requested the Planning Board to undertake a preliminary investigation to determine whether Block 27, Lots 6, 6.01, and 7 constituted an area in need of redevelopment, for non-condemnation purposes, and on March 14 of this year modified the investigation to be for condemnation purposes.

After the Planning Board's recommendation last week, Crawford Hill Holdings put out a statement that the designation of the Nokia as one in need of redevelopment was a "rush to judgment" that also had "legal implications."

The board's 5-1 vote to recommend the site an as area in need of redevelopment came late last Tuesday after the township's planner presented her recommendation. You can see the full report here.

Crawford Hill Holdings hoped to build a townhouse development on Lots 6 and 6.01 at 791 Holmdel Road.

The parcels make up not only the highest point in Monmouth County - Crawford Hill - but also the site of the historic Horn antenna.

These factors and others, including environmental protection, have led the township to determine it must protect those two lots as open space and as having historical significance.

The Township Committee on Aug. 22 voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance authorizing the acquisition by eminent domain of the 34.3-acre Crawford Hill property, the site of the Horn antenna. The township has been in the good faith negotiation stage with the owners.

The owners have discussed plans for an 88-unit, age-restricted townhouse development there.

That area to be acquired by Holmdel includes Lots 6, 6.01 and part of Lot 7 for a partial easement on Block 27 - 34.3 acres - to be used for open space, recreation and historic preservation purposes under the township's Master Plan.

The Nokia site, combined with Lots 6 and 6.01, make up a total of 43 acres on Crawford Hill, all owned by Crawford Hill Holdings.