Officials seek meeting with potential Lucent developer
Public can comment at Sept. 18 meeting at senior center
BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer
With an interested buyer for the Lucent property in the wings, the Township Committee authorized Holmdel's professionals to meet with the developer and evaluate options for the property's reuse.

The main entrance of the Lucent building

At the Aug. 21 Township Committee meeting, committee members authorized Administrator and Chief Financial Officer Joseph Annecharico and Township Planner Paul Phillips to meet with Somerset Development, Lakewood, which is the contract purchaser of the tract.

With that motion, the committee also authorized the township's professionals to seek guidance from outside planners and designers, should the need arise.

"In the past our professionals met with Preferred [Real Estate Investments, Conshohocken, Pa.,] and tonight I would like to ask the governing body to authorize Mr. Annecharico, Mr. Phillips, and our COAH attorney, Andy Bayer, to meet with this new developer," Mayor Serena DiMaso said.

"COAH round three really threw a wrench into things, and this company offered to put money into escrow to cover our expenses [of sending professionals to meet with them]."

The committee approved the mayor's motion but not without some discussion.

Committeeman Larry Fink suggested that the township consider interviewing professionals who were involved with the design charrette held in April.

"The Lucent property is unique and it's going to take some special expertise to truly redevelop that property to suit the community," he said.

Committeeman Rocco Pascucci disagreed.

"I am going to be blunt because that is the only way to say this, but I don't want to pick a designer or a planner that you like. We are the ones who are going to decide, not just you," Pascucci said to Fink. "If they [the township's professionals] come to us and want more help, we will pick who we want. You want extras, Larry, and you want people to do what you want."

Fink countered, saying that Pascucci had misunderstood Fink's suggestion, but DiMaso stepped in with her own suggestion:

"Why don't we let Joe [Annecharico] go to Paul [Phillips] and see what will be needed," she said. "Let's start with Paul, and if he feels he needs help, he can recommend someone and we can start interviewing for other people. He did a good job with Preferred. While I appreciate the talent of the people from the charrette, it is still our community and our decision."

Fink reminded the committee of Phillips' previous suggestions for the Lucent property.

"At the March 2007 public forum, Mr. Phillips … talked about the mixed-use concept and the positives of putting housing on that site," he said. "Besides, you three [DiMaso, Pascucci and Committeeman Alan Bateman, all Republicans] are in the majority. You can pick whomever you want. This is a world-class property and we need world-class professionals."

Pascucci said that he likes the township professionals.

"When I asked you [Fink] about condos, you said you didn't want it; now you want it," Pascucci charged.

"I am opposed to sprawl on that site," Fink responded. "What I would like to see is world-class companies come to Holmdel like they did when Bell Labs came. We have done very little to persuade them to come."

DiMaso rejected that notion and said, "That is not true. When [former administrator] Chris Schultz was here, we sent letters to Fortune 500 companies telling them about our community and the Lucent property."

Fink said that had been his idea and that the township officials have not reached a firm concept of what they want on the former Bell Labs site.

"We haven't really wrapped our arms around what we really want there. And that is hard to do," he said. "That is why the Lucent advisory committee threw up their arms and suggested a professional planner and designer be hired."

Committeewoman Janet Berk brought the discussion back to the matter at hand.

"I think we need a first step and hold a meeting with everyone involved. The key is to move as quick as possible," she said. "We need to hear what the residents have to say because we have some very bright people in town."

After the discussion, the committee made a second motion to have all the township professionals available for the Sept. 18 committee meeting and to move it to the senior/community center to accommodate the large number of people expected to be in attendance.

Ideas for use of the site were first mentioned by the development company and spanned a variety of uses for the 472- acre tract of land.

"We feel that the building and site are conducive to a mix of uses and plan on keeping a significant portion of the building for office space," Somerset Development President Ralph Zucker said in an e-mail earlier this month.

Zucker said in the same e-mail that Somerset will attempt to keep much of the Eero Saarinen-designed building as office space, but market conditions may limit that use.

"We feel it is necessary to incorporate other uses as well," he wrote, "including a hotel, a conference center, restaurants, shopping and other supportive retail and some residential."

Zucker, a principal with Rubin Schron in Lakewood-based Somerset Development, said the iconic building is one of the draws of the property.

"We want to be sensitive to the impact of all uses on the community and engage their input in order to solidify our design for the site," he said.

Resident Gerald Allocco asked the committee where it stood on the use of the site and the plans that Somerset had announced.

DiMaso called some of the ideas that Somerset Development had announced "frightening."

"We have been reading what has been written about the company just as everyone else has and what we have read is a little frightening," she said. "But we plan on having meetings with this company as we did with Preferred, and the developer has indicated that he would like to have an open dialogue in the community."

Pascucci echoed DiMaso's initial sentiment.

"The information I got in private session was what I read, and I don't like what I read," he said. "I mean high density? They might have misquoted him but … I do not want high-density housing in Holmdel. We need to start the engagement process. I know what I want and what I don't want. I don't want what he has in store."

Allocco said that he is hopeful the developer will work with the community.

"If he is willing to work with us, that would be great," he said.

Fink said that the redevelopment of the Lucent property would most likely have a significant effect on Holmdel.

"Whatever happens to that property would redefine us," he said. "We have done very well with three types of zoning: the office/laboratory, residential, and commercial/retail zonings. I don't see any reason, with the right effort from the developer and from the town, why we shouldn't be able to attract the right kind of ratables here. I won't be too quick to jump to changes in the zoning."

DiMaso reiterated that high-density housing is not her idea of ratables.

"I am not for condos, apartments or high-density housing. When Bell Labs came in, people were afraid," she said. "When I sit in this chair, the decisions I make are going to be ones that are good for Holmdel and the generations to come."

Berk said that the people for the developer to convince are the residents.

"The developer needs to convince the town because we represent you," she said. "We need a dialogue and meetings with residents."

Bateman said that he wasn't sold yet on everything the developer had announced.

"Right now I see the developer floating things out there to see what sticks," he said. "He said he'll keep the building, but we all know it's obsolete. You know he's going to float the idea of apartments there, and I would vote against that."

DiMaso reminded everyone that when Preferred Real Estate Investments proposed large tracts of housing, the town sent them packing.

"We have had other developers interested, and if we don't like this, we'll send them packing," she said. "But we still have to see their presentation. Hopefully, they will see the mistakes of the previous developer. We won't be bullied."

After the discussions surrounding the potential buyer, resident Dale Vander- Woode had some words of advice for the committee.

"If Holmdel wants this property to be developed in any way, you need to work with [developers]," he said. "Right now, you are just scaring everybody. Let's have a dialogue and say what it is that we want."