Holmdel May Build New Bell Works Fire House In Exchange For Apts

HOLMDEL, NJ — Holmdel is currently in talks with Bell Works developer Ralph Zucker to build a new Holmdel fire house behind Bell Works, in exchange for Zucker being permitted to build an undefined number of one-bedroom rental apartments in that same area.

"We're currently talking to Zucker about this idea; details have not been finalized yet," said Holmdel Township Administrator Donna Vieiro on Monday.

The cost to construct the fire house would be assumed entirely by Somerset Development; Zucker is CEO of Somerset and the sole developer/owner of Bell Works. Both the fire house and the apartments would be located in what is currently a vacant, wooded area behind Bell Works, in the area that used to be Bell Labs' softball fields.

Holmdel's fire problem is becoming increasingly apparent in the community and has been well documented by Patch: In 2013, the Township shut down Holmdel's original fire house on Main Street, saying it could no longer afford to insure it when volunteers would not comply with state-mandated regulations and testing. After that, Holmdel saw a steep decline in volunteer firefighters, so much so that the town even erected a massive billboard on Rt. 35 this winter, essentially begging people to volunteer.

"We were talking to (Bell Works owner) Ralph Zucker about this problem and he said, 'Why don't I build you a fire house here behind Bell Works?," said Vieiro. "He said in exchange, can I build some apartments there? He's thinking one-bedroom, 900-square-foot apartments."

There are 70 office tenants currently leased at Bell Works, all white-collar business and tech companies, and Zucker said he has gotten feedback from some of those companies that their employees would like to live on the Bell Works property, or at least nearer to the office complex. There are currently few rental options in Holmdel.

"Nothing has been decided yet and the concept is very preliminary," cautioned Vieiro. "This is all still in the talking stage. Zucker could come back to us and say he cannot afford to do this, or he's not doing this."

She said Zucker did not specify exactly how many rentals he is thinking, but Holmdel Mayor Eric Hinds estimated 195 apartments. Vieiro pointed out that the existing Bell Works redevelopment plan currently allows Zucker to build a sports complex on the site. He would build the apartments instead of that.

"He's essentially allowed to build as many as five playing fields back there, which would bring a lot of traffic to the area, or a data center, which would require a lot of wiring," Vieiro said. "So these apartments would be an alternative to that."

For the firehouse/apartments to happen, Zucker would have to petition the Holmdel Township Committee to first amend the redevelopment plan, and then the Holmdel Planning Board would have to approve the new plan. Still, construction could feasibly begin on a new Holmdel fire house before 2019 is over.

At the March 12 Holmdel Township Committee meeting, Hinds said the apartments would be 600-700 square feet. Vieiro said their exact specifications are undecided.

Holmdel Twp. first explored renovating the existing Crawfords Corner Road firehouse, but Vieiro said that cost, $1.5 to 2 million, is prohibitively expensive.

The problem of finding volunteer firefighters is hardly unique to Holmdel. Affluent suburbs across New Jersey, such as Princeton and Middletown, are all struggling with the same conundrum: In today's household, both the husband and wife often work, and usually their jobs are located quite far away from their homes. Children grow up and often go to college far away, not staying locally. Volunteer firefighting is also a serious time commitment, with many weekends devoted to training.

"Like 85 percent of the municipalities in this state, we are having trouble getting volunteers," said Vieiro. "It's not like the '70s or '80s anymore where you have people who work right in the town where they live."

And the consequences can be dire: This winter, a million-dollar home on Blue Hills Drive in Holmdel burned to the ground in just over an hour on a particularly windy January day. It took the first fire truck 20 minutes to get to the scene.

Vieiro said the town envisions the new Bell Works apartment renters — young, healthy and fit people in their 20s and 30s — to even volunteer at the new firehouse. After all, it's located right next to where they live and work.

"That's why the Bell Works location is a perfect scenario; there are actually people coming to work in Holmdel now," the town administrator said. "The people who live in these new apartments could essentially volunteer as firefighters, too, protecting the area where they work every day."

Holmdel most pressingly has a need for volunteer firefighters in the middle of the day, when most people are at work. The Blue Hills Drive fire, for example, broke out at 1:30 on a Wednesday afternoon.

That's why Holmdel is also currently in talks with several other neighboring towns to share the cost of a small, four-to-five person paid fire team that would be on call during during weekday daytime to respond to fires throughout the area. This would save the tremendous cost of Holmdel having to move to a full-time professional fire department, Vieiro said.

Ongoing Patch reporting:

Fire Destroys Holmdel Home On Blue Hills Drive

Holmdel Fire Shows Need For More Firefighters, Deputy Mayor Says

Holmdel Residents Meet To Discuss Fire Concerns