Committee splits 3-2 on anti-housing resolution BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer HOLMDEL - The Township Committee will not change the Lucent property's zoning to allow for housing, but that doesn't mean it still couldn't happen. On Thursday night, the committee voted 3-2 to approve a resolution that says residential units cannot be built on the 472-acre parcel. Deputy Mayor Alan Bateman and Committeeman Rocco Pascucci opposed the resolution, while Mayor Serena DiMaso and Committeemen Larry Fink and Terence Wall voted in favor of the measure. According to Township Attorney Duane Davison, the developer may still be able to get a use variance from the Zoning Board allowing them to build the housing. DiMaso, a nonpracticing attorney, added this was also her interpretation of the law. "It's just a resolution," DiMaso said on Monday. "It just says it's zoned for office/lab, and at this time we have voted to not allow housing at the site." She added, "I can tell you that any person who owns any property can hand in any plan. Anybody is entitled to do that and [apply for] a variance for the property. I don't know if that's his plan." The resolution would not override the Zoning Board's ability to grant a variance, Davison said. "I'm not exactly sure what the purpose was other than to send a message to Preferred," Davison said on Monday. "This is all politics and it meant nothing," Pascucci said of the vote on Monday. "It was a political move," Pascucci added. "Again, Terence just wanted to make the point that he was right. ... He was trying to get Serena to say she was a liar. He just wanted to make a point to put Serena on the spot because he feels that she wants housing there. Apparently, she doesn't. It really meant nothing. It really meant nothing and that's not acceptable." The former home of Bell Labs, the Lucent property is now under contract for sale to developer Preferred Real Estate Investments. The Pennsylvania firm wishes to build between 200 and 300 housing units on the site, along with 1.1 million to 1.9 million square feet of office space. Pascucci said a better way to handle the situation would be to wait until the recently formed citizens advisory group reports back with its recommendations for the site. "Let's make an educated decision instead of everyone trying to be cool," Pascucci said. "They all want to be like the big shots." Pascucci, who says he can see the Lucent property from his bedroom window, said he voted against the resolution because he is unhappy with all the options Preferred has shown, including options that only contain commercial space. "My mind is not made up," Pascucci said. "If everyone's mind is made up, why'd we form this committee?" Housing may not be desirable but neither is 2 million square feet of office space, Pascucci said. "I want something nice and I want a good ratable," Pascucci said. "I don't want just giant office space." Like Pascucci, Bateman voted against the resolution. "I voted no to that because I want to wait for the information from our citizens advisory group," Bateman said on Monday. "And as I said at the meeting, I'm not for housing nor am I against it. I want to see the information before I make a decision." DiMaso said she voted in favor of the resolution because the property is not suitable for housing. "Quite honestly, I've never been a proponent of housing," DiMaso said. "When Preferred came to us, they always said they were a commercial developer; they develop commercial and office space. So let them stick to that." Preferred spokesman Jon Bjornson could not be reached for this story by press time.