08/14/2026
My humble thoughts on the latest Holmdel Township Committee meeting...
At this point, watching the collapse and restructuring of my hometown is starting to feel like another “business as usual” kind of thing.
And once again, I left the meeting unimpressed.
I know everyone is fired up about Oak Hill Farm, utility poles and data centers. Those are all legitimate issues. But for me, the sneaky, and potentially much bigger issue is the one I asked about publicly a few months ago:
The property behind Kohl’s on Route 35.
But first...
The poles
Talking about poles and data centers almost feels like a waste of time now.
Holmdel did a horrible job negotiating the pole situation (great job, Brian! 🥳) and, in my opinion, should have gotten more help from our elected officials before we got to this point.
Everyone continued spending a ton of time on Oak Hill Farm.
And yes, from a paperwork/legal standpoint, I think the TC has a point here. (Sorry Franco, I love you, but it is true from the paperwork standpoint.)
That being said, Franco clearly has a huge following, seems willing to make changes, and then made what I can only describe as an “OMFG, did he really just offer that?” proposal to the Township Committee.
Seriously, his “let's make a deal” moment was a drop-the-mic moment.
At this point, I honestly don't care whether every square inch technically qualifies as a farm or whether somebody thinks the whole thing is a write-off. He's a businessman who clearly likes having the farm/not-farm, people clearly like going there, and when it reopens I'm looking forward to checking it out.
I just hope the Township and Oak Hill can find a happy medium so everybody can move on with their lives.
Seriously, Rocco AND Franco, let's grab a brisket at Bell Works. My treat.
We can curse each other out, then eat, realize we've all just been hungry this entire time, and figure this thing out.
Anyway...
Back to the meeting
*UPDATE*
Ann Marie Buontempo read a statement opposing placing a FORCE MAIN at VONAGE property. It will deplete up to 16 million gallons of water a year from our already drought level drinking water reservoir. Also as we lessen the osmotic water pressure against the Atlantic Ocean it continues to lead to salt water contamination of our underground fresh water to our northern Holmdel residents eventually causing more fresh water scarcity. Holmdel should stick with the original engineering plan that T&M suggested a new treatment plant onsite that is up to date and can recharge properly treated water back into the ground to keep our drinking water supplies safe.
A number of people came up to speak about Oak Hill Farm, the utility poles and the proposed data-center issue—in the town that was simultaneously adopting an ordinance prohibiting data centers. The ordinance adopted August 11 adds data centers to Holmdel's prohibited uses.
Then Farmer Pete (who was not freshly shaved, which was a bit disappointing!) got up and asked several questions.
One of them involved eminent domain.
And that's when it clicked for me:
Ohhhh. We're talking about THAT property.
Now let's talk about the property behind Kohl's.
A few months ago, I publicly asked what I thought was a pretty simple question:
Is Holmdel eventually going to use eminent domain to acquire this property?
Now we have part of the answer.
The property is Block 59, Lots 6 & 7 behind the Kohl's shopping center on Route 35. It has actually gone through several zoning changes over the years.
In 2019, Holmdel rezoned it into an affordable-housing mixed-use district that allowed a project of up to 170 residential units—including market-rate and affordable units—along with commercial space.
Then earlier this year, Holmdel changed that zoning again, replacing the mixed-use district with a zone allowing up to 80 units of 100% affordable housing.
That distinction matters.
Because now the Township's own appraiser has valued Block 59, Lots 6 & 7 at $1.86 million, with a valuation date of July 17, 2026.
And on August 11, the Township Committee introduced an ordinance authorizing Holmdel to acquire that same property through either a negotiated purchase or eminent domain, in an amount not to exceed $1.86 million. 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ OUCH!
To be precise, that ordinance was passed on first reading. The public hearing and final consideration are currently scheduled for September 8.
So my question from a few months ago doesn't seem so crazy anymore.
And this is where my concern becomes much bigger than one particular property owner.
I'm not claiming I can prove the Township changed the zoning specifically so it could lower the purchase price. I can't prove that, and the public documents I reviewed don't establish that.
But I absolutely think residents deserve to ask this:
How did changing this property from a mixed-use development that allowed market-rate housing and commercial space to an 80-unit, 100% affordable-housing development affect its fair-market value?
And then:
If the Township itself changed what could legally be built there, and months later obtained a $1.86 million appraisal before moving toward possible eminent domain, how is the impact of that zoning decision accounted for when determining “just compensation”?
That's the part that bothers me.
Because eminent domain is supposed to involve just compensation for the property being taken.
But if government has the ability to substantially change what you're permitted to do with your property before the same government considers taking it, I think every property owner and especially every business owner should at least be paying attention.
I was late to the meeting, so I didn't initially realize this was actually on the agenda.
When I eventually went up for public comment, I thanked everyone who came to the Citizens For Informed Land Use - CILU Sip N See, finally gave Joe Romano Holmdel Township Committee a proper congratulations on the opening of the new hospital, reminded everyone about the shorter utility poles being removed, and then came back to the Kohl's-area property and asked:
Are we actually doing this?
Apparently, we are at least moving in that direction.
And for me, as a business owner, the idea that property can be rezoned, potentially lose substantial development value, and then become the subject of a government acquisition at an appraised “fair market value” is frightening enough that I want a much clearer explanation of exactly how this process works.
It's also one of the reasons I still don't feel comfortable bringing any of my companies into Holmdel.
Forget the drama for a minute.
This is the issue I think people should be watching. IMHO and I really don't think there are any "bad guys" just people doing their best with the information they have.
Hope this run has been lite hearted, informative, and a bit entertaining 🥳
Happy Friday everyone!
