With Fort Monmouth’s closure rapidly approaching, officials with the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) are stepping up efforts to sell off portions of the 1,129-acre property.
At the authority’s June 15 meeting, Frank Cosentino, director of plans and programs for FMERA, explained that the Army is preparing a FOST (Finding of Suitability to Transfer) for three sites on the property: the Sun Eagles Golf Course, the Howard Commons housing area, both Eatontown, and the Fort Monmouth Marina in Oceanport.
“They must have a FOST, which is in essence a clean bill of health for each of the properties,” he said.
Matrix Design Group, the consulting firm hired to help implement the fort reuse plan, is studying the sites, and the transfer of property from theArmy must be approved by the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
“Once those FOSTs are evaluated and approved, that will clear the way for the transfer of property to us and then to a prospective buyer. So, there is a very defined and closely followed process here, not just some random transfer of property,” Cosentino said. According to Cosentino, representatives from the Army met with FMERA officials in May to discuss, among other matters, opportunities for job creation through the early sale of the properties.
“We understand that one of our primary goals, if not the primary goal, is to establish jobs,” Cosentino said. “And that can be done with the enticement of entities coming here and opening their businesses or transferring businesses.
“We have an expectation of FOST by November of this year. We have also been discussing with [theArmy] a draft memorandum of agreement, which is a guideline document of the major points, which will allow us to move forward with the sale and lease of the properties,” Cosentino explained.
“It also will address the apportionment of any sales revenue, which may be generated by the sale of these prospective properties.”
During an interview following the authority’s June 15 meeting, FMERA Executive Director Bruce Steadman explained the process by which the golf course, marina and Howard Commons area will be sold.
“We are essentially going to carve them out of the base … put an RFP [request for proposals] together, we’ll public notice it, and we’ll invite bids [for the sites].
The RFPs, Steadman explained, will include specific stipulations for each of the sites. For instance, in the RFP for the golf course, the bidder may be required to ensure that the site will remain as a golf course. An RFP for the marina may require the bidder to continue to maintain the site as a marina.
Both sites will also be required to remain open to the public.
“The golf course and marina would be privately owned and open to the public. We don’t envision any case that they would be taken over by a private company and then some element not be open to the public,” he said.
“The plan calls for those venues to be open to the public.”
Steadman also indicated that the RFPs could require that the bidders provide an opportunity for job growth at the sites.
The authority will choose from the RFPs, interview bidders, and negotiate a deal for the sale of the properties.
The RFPs will vary from site to site, Steadman said; however, each site must have a FOST before an RFP can be solicited.
“Every one of these parcels has to get a Finding of Suitability to Transfer by theArmy signed off by the DEP,” he said.
Steadman further explained that each portion of fort property will be covered under the federal government’s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), which holds the government responsible for contamination at the fort in perpetuity.
“There is a covenant under CERCLA … that says the federal government will be forever responsible for any contamination that is caused, whether it’s known or unknown.”
Although he declined to name specific parties interested in the three sites, Steadman said he is confident the authority would receive bids for them.
A portion of the revenue from the sale of the properties is expected to be used to help fund job growth and pay for emergency services personnel that the fort’s three host towns of Eatontown, Oceanport and Tinton Falls may need to provide for the fort once the Army leaves.
“What’s going to happen is the Army and FMERAare partners at the table,” Steadman said.
“The Army owns the property, and they don’t really have to cut us in at all, but there is the recognition by theArmy that they have some responsibility to leave enough behind for economic development,” he explained.
In the case of the golf course, Steadman said the Army could sell the course to FMERAfor $1, allowing the authority to put out an RFP for the site.
The amount paid for the property by the winning bidder would then be split between the Army and FMERA based on a predetermined percentage.
“We want to set aside money for Eatontown, Oceanport, Tinton Falls and the county to help them overcome the cost that they are going to face by this 1,100 acres coming into their jurisdiction — additional police, fire, emergency services, infrastructure, all of that,” Steadman said.
“Our goal is to build a pot of money that we have to manage that can only be used for certain costs as dictated by the Army, so that when these costs are faced by the boroughs, we can help them.”
Contact Daniel Howley at [email protected].