On Nov. 3, Holmdel will have one of its most important elections since I moved here in ’61. The incumbent committeeman, Thomas Critelli, sent out a campaign mailer prior to last spring’s primary election with his promises. Among his plans for Holmdel, he stated that he would work to change the zoning on Route 34 to entice more commercial development.
In the article, “Incumbent Faces Challenge in Holmdel Primary” (Independent, May 21), he said “his main focuses would be amending the zoning along the corridors of Routes 34 and 35 in an attempt to spur new economic activity.”
He believes that because nonresidential development does not increase school taxes, more commercial development in town will reduce our tax rate. Nonsense! When I was a planning board member, I looked at the tax rates of all towns in Monmouth and many other counties in the state and found that generally higher nonresidential development means a higher, not lower, tax rate. It was a surprise at the time, but it didn’t take much digging into the details to learn that most nonresidential development adversely impacts the value of nearby residential properties and increases the municipal portion of the tax rate. The result is lower home values and a higher tax rate.
Our zoning and subdivision ordinances include clustering provisions and a provision for evergreen buffers along our major roadways. These provide for quality residential development of these areas.
A modification of our zoning along Route 34 to permit commercial development would be one of the most undesirable changes possible in our zoning, although it might be good for some construction and real estate businesses.
Please vote for Karen Strickland on Nov. 3. Holmdel needs her objective voice on our Township Committee.
Larrabee M. Smith
Holmdel