For more than a century, Patrick DePalma’s family farm has provided dozens of varieties of flowers, crops and produce to communities across New Jersey.
DePalma Farms and Greenhouses, a 95-acre property in Holmdel the family has farmed for generations, has long been a seasonal staple in the township.
But now, with the farm’s lease set to expire this month, that legacy is at risk of ending.
Holmdel Township’s committee voted unanimously earlier this month to put the farm up for bid once the current lease ends, leaving the DePalmas uncertain about their future on the land.
During a township committee meeting, farm manager Patrick DePalma — whose father leases the property — pleaded with township officials to let his family keep farming the land they’ve tended to for over a century.
“I’m in disbelief over what’s happening to a lifetime farm that’s been part of Holmdel and is just trying to stay here,” DePalma said.
“You’re taking my livelihood away,” he told the committee.
The resolution was initially tabled earlier in the meeting, after several residents spoke in support of the DePalma family and urged the committee to reconsider extending the lease. But by the end of the session, the committee moved forward with the vote.
The DePalmas purchased the property in 1917. In 2000, they sold the farm to Holmdel Township for $4.3 million with a 25-year lease agreement, along with what they say was a verbal promise from the former township committee that the lease could be extended once it expired.
The original rent was set at $1,000 per month, but the township reduced it to $500 during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the DePalma family.
On Friday, Holmdel Mayor Brian Foster said the township cannot legally extend the DePalma family’s lease without opening the property up to public bidding. He said doing so “wouldn’t be fair to taxpayers” and could result in the township losing money.
“DePalma Farm is a prized Holmdel acquisition,” Foster said at the meeting. “The township has no issue with Mr. DePalma. They are welcome to bid, and if they win, the township looks forward to continuing with them as their landlord.”
Anyone interested, including the DePalma family, can bid on the property, the mayor said. But, the lease will likely go to the highest bidder.
The lease would begin next year, officials said.
In January, the DePalmas were informed their lease would not be extended and the farm would be put out for public bid. As rumors began to spread that Holmdel planned to develop the land, township officials issued a statement earlier this month denying the claims.
“Our intent has always been to continue the use of farming for the property,” Foster said.
More than 30 acres of the farm were purchased using New Jersey Green Acres funding in 2000, which permanently protects that portion for recreation and conservation. But most of the land was not protected, leaving it open to future development, according to the DePalma’s attorney, Sarah Biser.
Township officials said they plan to limit the entire site to farming and conservation use under the lease, with deed restrictions to prevent future development.
But Biser isn’t convinced, saying it’s both “legal and possible” the township could allow high-density development on the farm. She said the DePalma family plans to file a lawsuit over the committee’s decision.
“What people say and what they do were two different things,” Biser said. “Right now, 60 acres could be sold or leased to anybody who wants to do anything else.”
Still, the DePalmas wonder why, if the township intends to preserve the site as farmland, it won’t offer them a short-term lease extension or pursue a legal path help them keep it in the family.
“This family took a financial loss to keep this farmland as it is,” said Donna Orecchia, Patrick DePalma’s fiancée. “So none of this makes any sense.”
During the pandemic, the farm suffered financially and lost acres of produce due to a lack of deer fencing.
Despite the struggles, the DePalmas continued to supply crops and flowers to restaurants and landscapers throughout Monmouth County, keeping prices low to support small businesses, Orecchia said.
The farm has also been a part of local traditions, providing flowers for school fundraisers in Holmdel and Hazlet, and hosting class trips on which children learned how vegetables grow and picked out flowers for Mother’s Day.
When some schools couldn’t afford fall decorations like sugar pumpkins and hay bales, community members stepped in to purchase them from the DePalma farm — many saying they were grateful the family never raised prices, even as costs increased, according to the family.
An online petition started to save the farm had nearly 500 signatures earlier this week.
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