Dementia Care Proposal For Holmdel To Get More Scrutiny

HOLMDEL, NJ — The Zoning Board will continue its hearing of an application for a dementia care facility off Red Hill Road at its meeting Wednesday, Sept. 21.

No decision is expected on the application at this meeting, according to board staff, because three members will not be present.

Opponents of the proposal called witnesses at the last hearing in July to address concerns about the use of the site, formerly Potter's Farm.

Kevin Asadi of Shrewsbury is the lawyer for the Preserve Potter's Farm group, many of whom are residents of nearby Country Woods, who have objected to the proposal.

The owner of the site is the healthcare nonprofit United Methodist Communities.

The proposal draws inspiration from the model of care found at Hogewey Dementia Village in Amsterdam, according to a previous Patch article.

Developers want to create a village with apartment-style houses, front porches, gardens to walk around and a grocery store.

Asadi said comparing a site in the city of Amsterdam to a busy highway in Holmdel is a central flaw to the proposal. The concept in the Netherlands may be innovative, he said in an earlier interview, but in a suburban setting it overburdens services. And he noted it is not a permitted use, requiring the Zoning Board approval.

Asadi said that it will be difficult for potential staff to access the facility because of a lack of public transportation.

And he said that, from an emergency services perspective, this type of facility will tax an already overburdened EMS force.

The meeting Wednesday will offer more opportunity for public comment.

The Potter's Farm 18-acre tract is off exit 114 on the Garden State Parkway on Red Hill Road.

Asadi said the area is zoned for low-density housing "to protect its rural charm."

One force behind the preservation effort is a teenage resident who lives in Country Woods, Jacob Samardin, who has created a site about the history of the farm and its role today and who also set up a petition drive to support its preservation.

Potter’s Farm has been operating as a working farm since well before 1841. According to the Holmdel Historic Society, the William Potter Homestead was built by Mathias Conover in 1841 and William Potter acquired the land in 1920 and 1925.

In February, the township of Middletown notified the township zoning board that said it formally objects to the proposed memory care center, as well.