Holmdel's global scientific icon to be saved, turned into a park

HOLMDEL – Crawford Hill, home to the Horn Antenna, will become a park, Mayor DJ Luccarelli announced during a rescheduled township committee meeting Thursday night.

The Horn Antenna is an 18-ton scientific instrument. It was at Crawford Hill that astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson detected cosmic microwave background radiation with the Horn Antenna and were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Due to its significance, the Horn Antenna is a National Historic Landmark.

However, for the last year, the question of what would happen on Crawford Hill remained up in the air.

“It’s a very exciting day for Holmdel and after one year of effort, I am pleased to announce that the township has successfully negotiated the preservation of Crawford Hill and the Horn Antenna,” Luccarelli said. “This breakthrough will allow future generations to observe the Horn Antenna as a National Historic Landmark located within Holmdel as well impressive views that can be observed from the highest point in Monmouth County on the sprawling 35-acre public park.”

The developer Crawford Hill Holdings LLC is owned by Rakesh Antala.

In a negotiated agreement with the developer and the township that was hammered out within hours of the Thursday meeting, the township would buy certain lots of land while Crawford Hill Holdings would redevelop the rest of the property.

Lots 6 and 6.01, which the Horn Antenna resides upon, is mostly undeveloped land. In August, the township voted to allow itself to invoke eminent domain if negotiations for the property failed.

According to Luccarelli, the township negotiated a net sale of $4.75 million for lots 6 and 6.01 and an access easement that cuts through lot 7. The purchase price for the property is $5.5 million, but the developer agreed to donate $750,000 back to the township for park improvements such as repaving the access road, taking down some of the old structures and possibly building a visitor’s center next to the Horn Antenna.

Lot 7, which the former Nokia building resides, will still be owned by Antala and Crawford Hill Holdings.

Plans for the former Nokia building could mirror the mix of retail, office and public spaces that Bell Works has, Luccarelli said.

The lot would be deed restricted to prevent any type of residential housing, including townhouses that were previously proposed.

“The parties will enter into and ensure that the site’s impacts are generally consistent with those when the building was occupied,” Luccarelli said. “These include indoor recreation, general business, professional uses, medical uses, supportive retail that is no more than 20% of the building, gyms, health and fitness centers, health and fitness facilities including spas, research and development laboratories and offices and for-profit educational purposes.”

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He continued, “In the end, the township concluded that it is in the best served to partnering with Crawford Hill Holdings and engaging in a redevelopment process to bring out an adaptive reuse of the former Nokia building at no cost to the township while keeping a ratable for the town.”

A redevelopment plan would allow the township and the developer to work together to design a new use for the building. The building is currently restricted to research laboratory, but a redevelopment plan would allow other uses.

Township attorney Mike Collins said the agreement would involve both the township and Crawford Hill Holdings to go to court and declare a “friendly condemnation,” meaning that condemnation proceedings would occur but with both sides already agreeing on the outcome. The township would then pay for lots 6 and 6.01 and the access easement and receive the title to the property.

Once the township has the title to the land, it assumes liability of the property and would need to begin making the area safe and clear of vandalism, Luccarelli said.

In regards to lot 7, Collins said, the developer has agreed not to initiate lawsuits against the township with regards to its planning board action in September in declaring the site “a condemnation area in need of redevelopment.” Declaring the site “a condemnation area in need of redevelopment” would have allowed the township to declare eminent domain. Township, in return, would not declare eminent domain for lot 7.

“I’m really proud to be here,” Antala said. “Though we had ups and downs and differences, I think both parties, wanted really clear (to preserve) the horn antenna. And then we did it. So, thank you so much.”

The price tag

Many residents congratulated the township committee for acquiring lots 6 and 6.01 for a 35-acre public park.

Resident Ron Emma, who is also a member of the township’s planning board, questioned where the rest of the funds to purchase the land would come from.

In August, the township committee introduced an ordinance that would allow the township a $2 million starting point in negotiations.

Luccarelli said, the township has $2 million in its Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund that could be increased. He said, in addition, the township is working with other levels of government to “defray the acquisition cost.”

The township’s CFO Bill Antonides said the remaining money would be borrowed from the township itself.

“What we anticipate doing is having additional bond ordinance for the purpose of acquisition of the town property, which will authorize us to go out and borrow more money,” he said. “The money we don’t anticipate (getting from) the public. We anticipate borrowing from ourself. That would be 0% interest. And any money we get from either the county, the state, the federal government we’ll just reimbursed that we expended.”

Luccarelli said he does not expect the acquisition to impact taxpayers.

Collins said the courts are currently experiencing a backlog, but he is hopeful that, due to negotiations between the township and developer, the township could get the title to proposed park within a month or two.

“It’s been a lot of work, a lot of meetings, a lot of time put into this,” Luccarelli said. “At the end, I truly believe this is the best outcome that we can have for the township. We’re all very excited for the future, what the future holds at the Crawford Hill property.”

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Holmdel purchases site of Horn Antenna, will turn it into a park