The Economic Case for Preserving the Horn Antenna & Crawford Hill

At the last Holmdel Township Committee meeting, Mayor DJ Luccarelli read a statement indicating that the Township is in negotiation with the owner of Crawford Hill, the site of the Horn Antenna, a national historic landmark that was used to confirm the Big Bang theory of the creation of our universe.

We all should support Holmdel Township’s efforts to preserve the Horn Antenna and the surrounding Crawford Hill site rather than a “redevelopment” of the property.

Preserving the Horn Antenna and the Crawford Hill site not only honors and celebrates Holmdel’s unique legacy in astronomy and cosmology but also improves the quality of life for Holmdel residents and future generations to come – all at lower tax costs to Holmdel residents.

A 1997 study of the costs of public services in several towns in Monmouth County determined that Holmdel residential development required $1.38 in services for every dollar of tax revenue it generates while open space requires only $0.66 in services for every dollar of tax revenue collected.

Similarly, a 1993 study found that allowing for the development of 98 houses in Mendham Township, Morris County, would lead to a $385 increase in property tax in the township, whereas the preservation of the land by the township would only lead to a $104 increase.

Holmdel Township has long appreciated that open space has many benefits. This is reflected in the stated goals in Holmdel’s Master Plan. In 1998, Holmdel residents approved the establishment of a Township Open Space Trust Fund with a dedicated tax levy. In 2021, residents confirmed these benefits and voted yes to the public question to increase the open space tax rate. That public question stated that the “increase would fund various purposes such as additional acquisitions of open space and parkland properties.”

Today, many residents enjoy the use of what is now Holmdel Park because the Township Committee said no to the redevelopment of the old Chase tract in the late 1990s.

Over the past 20+ years, an increasing body of evidence makes a compelling economic argument as well for the preservation of open space. Studies from the likes of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, Mercer County Planning Department, and Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, documented that the benefits of preservation can outweigh both the cost of an open space purchase and the loss of a “ratable” from tax rolls.

In addition to environmental and recreational values that are created, hard benefits include (1) avoiding the costs of public services that would be required of developments, such as increased school, public works, and public safety services, (2) the enhanced value to nearby properties by creating an amenity value, increasing tax revenue collected as assessments are adjusted, and (3) potential to positively impacting local employment outcomes and economic growth.

Holmdel’s own Farmland Preservation Plan (2010) states “The preservation of farmland can be a less financially burdensome alternative for the Township in the long-run; allowing farmland to be developed into housing will increase the cost of support services, and could lead to a greater tax burden than if the land had been preserved as farmland or open space”.

In short, preserving the Horn Antenna and the Crawford Hill site commemorates Holmdel’s legacy in astronomy and cosmology, improves the quality of life for Holmdel residents and future generations to come, and lowers tax costs to Holmdel residents.

This would be a triple WIN for Holmdel!