GOP chair: Party has endorsed no Lucent plan BY KARL VILACOBA Staff Writer HOLMDEL - The official arm of the township's Republican Party distanced itself from its social arm on Friday regarding the group's proposal for redeveloping the Lucent tract. In a released statement, Holmdel Republican Organization Chairman Tom Scarano said he and fellow members of the Republican County Committee - the legally elected representatives of the party responsible for setting its direction and policy - support reserving judgment on how to redevelop the almost 500-acre campus. The statement follows the Holmdel Republican Club Executive Committee's unanimous endorsement Feb. 8 of a plan spearheaded by Committeeman Terence Wall calling for the prohibition of housing on the site. "While the Republican Club, a private social club, is entitled to endorse any plan it wants, this endorsement is not the official position of the Republican Party in Holmdel," the statement reads. "The official position of the Republican Party is that given the complexity of the issue and the absence of data known to the public, no plan is currently endorsed. ... We believe that any future plan that may be endorsed must maintain the rural nature of the tract and balance that rural setting with the economic challenges faced by all of the residents of Holmdel." In March, Lucent announced its plan to move all of the corporate campus' remaining employees to another location in New Jersey and close by September of this year. Pennsylvania-based Preferred Real Estate Investments Inc. purchased the property, which is Holmdel's largest tax ratable, and held a few town meetings last summer to gain public feedback on the site's future. While no official plan has been submitted by Preferred, the company has expressed interest in redeveloping the longtime home of Bell Labs, and later Lucent, as a mix of office and retail space, age-restricted housing, open space and other uses. The Republican Club-endorsed community park plan calls for the prohibition of new housing development; preservation of open space and farmland; developer-funded family recreation facilities; developer-funded community buildings such as a library, senior center and school administrative offices; and discussion of a golf course with membership strictly limited to Holmdel residents/guests and campus executives/guests. Wall has been garnering support of this plan through a petition and a Web site, www.holmdelmatters.com. Scarano said he has received several calls from residents confused over whether the party has endorsed a plan or not. Scarano said the club's decision to back a plan at this juncture was "unwise," and does not represent the opinions of the majority of Republicans in Holmdel. "I don't think we have all of the information to make a decision," Scarano said. The public is invited to attend a town meeting March 22 to provide feedback on the Lucent property. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Holmdel Senior Center, Crawfords Corner Road.