Hazlet farm may succumb to aggressive urbanization When is a historic farm not a historic farm? The answer: when it is located in the western reach of the Bayshore (Hazlet, Union Beach, Keyport, Matawan, Aberdeen and Keansburg). If it were located somewhere out in Upper Freehold or Millstone or Middletown or Colts Neck, it would likely be rescued from demolition. The funding and expertise to negotiate its acquisition and restoration would be made readily available. One need only refer to Monmouth County Open Space Tax Fund and Farmland Preservation Program records to see where nearly all of those funds and skills for negotiating land acquisitions/easements are continually steered by the powers that be, and where they are not. Recently, it was purported by some interested sources that Devino and Jackiewicz LLC, the owners of the historic Van Mater farmstead buildings at Stone Road Meadows in Hazlet, are poised to demolish these early 19th century (1836) Greek revival-style structures in the immediate future. If so, the destruction may begin in as little as two weeks. This is the last historic farm along the Raritan Bay. Those of us who have been struggling for more than two years to obtain help in preserving this important site are saddened by this news. In vain, we have earnestly sought assistance from many agencies and organizations such as the Monmouth County freeholders, Planning Board, Park System, Historical Association, Monmouth Conservation Foundation, state assemblypersons, as well as the Hazlet Township Committee. Collectively, they have failed to generate any effective preservation measures whatsoever, despite the missions, goals and principles set forth in the State of New Jersey Development and Redevelopment Plan, and Office of Smart Growth guidelines which promote the preservation of historical, natural, and agricultural resources in New Jersey, including Monmouth County. If allowed to proceed, the demolition will be followed by the overdevelopment of the Van Mater farmstead property, resulting in a high density housing project squeezed onto a 4.59 acre parcel in an area which is virtually built out, already overburdened with traffic congestion at Poole Avenue and Route 36, and already suffering from a history of flooding. This aggressive urbanization will greatly harm the quality of life in the nearby neighborhoods and the last Bayshore historic farmstead will be no more! John M. Curran III president Hazlet Area Quality of Life Alliance