NPS, Pallone to confer on Fort Hancock plan
By gloria stravelli
Staff Writer

A meeting between state Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D) and National Park Service officials on redevelopment plans for Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, has been rescheduled for July 10 in Washington, D.C.

Pallone will meet with Sandy Hook Superintendent Russel Wilson and Michael Adlerstein, northeast associate regional director for planning for the park service, a spokesman for Pallone said.

The meeting had to be rescheduled because Pallone was tied up by prescription drug legislation in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he is a senior member.

Pallone asked for the meeting to discuss alternatives to the Park Service’s plan for private development on Fort Hancock, and also issues that arose at the second public meeting on June 1.

The congressman has expressed concern over the plan for the redevelopment of the historic military installation, which includes a proposal by private developer Sandy Hook Partners LLC to rehabilitate and adaptively reuse 36 buildings for a mix of office, hospitality and educational uses.

He recently called for a coordinated effort by local, state and federal governments to come up with a plan to preserve Fort Hancock without resorting to privatization.

In comments filed before the close of the public comment period on an environmental assessment of the redevelopment held June 15, Pallone reiterated concerns that the Fort would "become an unwelcome corporate park," that the traffic impact would be significant, and that the developer could seek to expand the scope of the project if profit projections aren’t met. He also called for inclusion of nonprofit groups that were forced off Sandy Hook because of redevelopment plans.

In other comments filed a day before the public comment period closed, a local conservationist said the Park Service failed to comply with local zoning ordinances as required by state land use law.

"In New Jersey, zoning is a function of municipalities and not the role of the federal, state or county governments," said Carole J. Balmer. "The application and review process for Sandy Hook Partners’ proposal has demonstrated total disregard for local ordinances and municipal procedures."

A member of the Holmdel Township Zoning Board and Holmdel’s former deputy mayor and environmental commission chair, Balmer called for a third public hearing based on shortcomings in the application and review process. These include, she said, the failure of the Park Service to provide adequate public notice or to have relevant documents available at least 10 days before a public meeting, and its decision to rule out a more detailed environmental impact statement before the public could review the adequacy of the assessment.

Balmer also said proper notice and application were not made to relevant municipal bodies in Middletown Township, where Sandy Hook is located, nor to adjoining municipalities.

In addition, the comments said the developer failed to disclose information on stockholders or partners who hold more than 10 percent of the partnership’s stock, which information is required by state law for commercial uses.

The traffic analysis provided in the environmental assessment is inadequate, Balmer said. Site plans were not provided in the plan and wastewater facility projections are incorrect in claiming existing facilities are adequate, she said, because the proposed development would result in effluent discharge that exceeds capacity by 11,000 gallons per day, requiring an amended wastewater treatment management plan.

Balmer faulted the environmental assessment’s conclusion that there would be no significant impact on wildlife and natural habitats, and said it failed to examine wetlands, flood plains, and air and water quality "intrinsic to wildlife, their habitats and ecosystems."

Efforts to "preserve a few manmade structures for a private investor must not be at the expense of the Hook’s fragile ecosystem," she said.

The Holmdel resident also said the environmental study produced for the redevelopment doesn’t look at the impact on the flyways of migratory birds, provide evidence that the nesting area of piping plovers will not be disturbed, or disclose enough information on impervious cover and soil disturbance to assess impacts on vegetation and habitats.

Balmer concluded that deficiencies, omissions and erroneous conclusions in the environmental assessment "justify the undertaking of a comprehensive environmental impact statement conducted by independent, certified professionals," and said the new study should call for additional public hearings and comment periods.

Balmer said Sandy Hook comes under state guidelines as a planning area because of its unique habitats and vegetation, environmentally sensitive areas, wetlands, flood plain, alluvial soils, and the presence of threatened and endangered species.

The state plan, she noted, aims to deter urban sprawl.

"The Sandy Hook Partners’ proposal," she said, "is a catalyst for subverting the goals and objectives of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan and devastation of our national natural resources."