Holmdel Planning Board To Continue Barclay Square Hearing Tuesday

HOLMDEL, NJ - Tuesday night will serve as the latest - and possibly last - of several hearings on a controversial affordable housing development planned for Palmer Avenue in Holmdel.

Dubbed “Barclay Square,” the development will feature an affordable housing multi-family zone - with 48 market-rate apartment units and 12 affordable units - on 6.74 acres of undeveloped land. All 60 apartment units will be contained in one building with 116 parking spaces proposed. All units to have balconies and washer/dryers.

Critics of the development have brought up flooding concerns as a major issue, as well as traffic along Palmer Avenue. Among the project's dissenters include Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, who has "heard from many members of the community here in Middletown as well as some members of the community in Holmdel as well that are concerned with this project.”

"For as long as we can remember, Palmer Avenue has flooded. It’s a wet area. The county was able to perform flooding mitigation on this road, but not based on future development," Perry said at a previous hearing. "Any type of additional development that will occur on Palmer Ave (which will undoubtedly impact Middletown and the Middletown side of the road) is not accounted for, for the conditions. Jamming 16 units per acre into this area will no question have an impact on that flooding.”

Perry also noted that traffic, especially in regards to student pick-up and drop-off by school buses, has not been accounted for.

"Stopping on Palmer Avenue, that is a horrible idea … Palmer Avenue will become the BQE in terms of stopping and starting because of bus stops," Perry added. The board has not yet been able to complete a traffic study due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several changes to the original plans have been made throughout the last few hearings, including revisions to the storm water basin, the addition of a crosswalk along Palmer Avenue and the inclusion of six ADA-compliant parking spaces instead of five.

At the June 15 meeting at 7 p.m., several items including a building elevator will be discussed. Advocates for the complex hope that the board will grant developers preliminary and final site plan approval.

You can join the virtual hearing tonight at this link. Web ID: 839 2502 7767 Passcode: 859365