By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Concerns have been raised about the impact of traffic on residents of a housing development which has its only access from a busy Monmouth County road.
Holland Ridge is on the eastbound side of Route 537 near that thoroughfare’s intersection with another county road, Route 524 (Elton-Adelphia Road).
Craig Poole, of Langeveld Drive in Holland Ridge, discussed his concerns during the Township Committee’s Oct. 18 meeting.
Poole said the steady volume of vehicles on Route 537 at certain times of the day is making it difficult for drivers to enter and exit the development.
Holland Ridge Boulevard is the only access point into and out of Holland Ridge from Route 537. The county highway is one lane in each direction at that location.
A traffic light at Smithburg Road halts vehicles that are eastbound on Route 537 and provides some opportunity for vehicles to enter and exit Holland Ridge Boulevard. The closest traffic light that halts westbound vehicles and helps to create a gap on Route 537 is at Gravel Hill Road.
Poole said in one instance, his son was attempting to make a left turn from Route 537 onto Holland Ridge Boulevard and had to wait several minutes for a break in the eastbound traffic in order to make the turn.
During that time, Poole said, westbound vehicles were passing his son’s vehicle on the right. He said the traffic is creating a dangerous situation for residents of Holland Ridge.
The question arose as to whether a driver who passes a turning vehicle on the right could or should be ticketed if police were to increase their presence on that stretch of Route 537.
Municipal officials said they do not have jurisdiction over Route 537 because it is a county road. They said they would look into the situation Poole described.
In other business, the committee members passed a resolution amending a lease termination agreement between the township and Freehold Shopping LLC regarding commuter parking spaces at a shopping center.
Certain spaces in the parking lot of the Freehold Mall shopping center, Route 9 north, are designated as commuter parking. The Freehold Mall is commonly known as the shopping center that includes the Burlington Coat Factory and a Work Out World fitness center.
Freehold Shopping LLC, the owner of the property, announced in June that the township’s lease for commuter parking spaces in the lot would be terminated on Oct. 31. That date was subsequently amended to Dec. 31.
In July, the committee took action to preserve the commuter spaces by adopting an ordinance authorizing the exercise of eminent domain to acquire a real property interest over parking spaces in the Freehold Mall.
Eminent domain (condemnation) allows a governing body to take private property from its owner for a public use, with compensation paid to the property owner.
When asked by a resident about the resolution, committee members said the action extended the date when the agreement between the township and Freehold Shopping LLC will be terminated. According to the resolution, the termination date will now be extended from Dec. 31 to Feb. 28, 2017.
Mayor Barbara McMorrow, Deputy Mayor Lester Preston and committeemen Anthony Ammiano and David Salkin voted to extend the termination date.
Committeeman Thomas Cook, who parks in the lot, recused himself from the issue and was not present in the meeting room when the topic was discussed by the remaining members of the governing body.
Finally, the committee rejected bids that were submitted for a storage building for the Department of Public Works.
Bids were accepted for the project on Sept. 1 and 12 bids were received. The highest bid was $1.69 million from Two Brothers Contracting Inc. and the lowest bid was $1.31 million from M&M Construction Technology Inc.
According to the resolution, the bids were rejected on the recommendation of Director of Projects and Facilities Ron Kirk because they exceeded budget estimates.
