Advanced Knee Pain Treatment in Freehold, NJ

A family-owned nursery and garden center in Freehold Township is selling 128 acres of land to one of the largest homebuilding companies in the nation, paving the way for a sprawling subdivision and affordable housing development.

The Brock Farms property at the intersection of Monmouth Road and Siloam Road is slated to be purchased by Hovnanian Enterprises, according to a purchase agreement.

The open space will be turned into a subdivision called the Preserve at Freehold, with 128 single family rate market homes and 32 duplex affordable homes, according to planning documents and sources familiar with the agreement.

“The purchase agreement was entered into in the spring of 2022,” said Michael Weisslitz, division president at K. Hovnanian Northeast Division.

Weisslitz said the sale is pending and the company has yet to close on the property.

The agreement includes five lots on Block 91 in Freehold Township. Property records show the lots are owned by E. Brock Limited Partnership and E. Brock Limited, based in Colts Neck.

Ed Brock Jr., Linda Brock and Ed Brock Sr. are the longtime owners of Brock Farms Nursery and Garden Center, a Freehold-based, family-owned plant nursery and garden center with a second location in Colts Neck, according to the Brock Farms website.

Brock Farms’ Freehold location on Route 9 is at a separate location and is not part of the sale with Hovnanian Enterprises.

The owners did not respond to multiple requests to comment.

Hovnanian Enterprises designs, constructs and markets housing in 128 communities in 14 states, according to its website. The company’s homes are marketed and sold under the trade name K. Hovnanian Homes. It’s among the largest homebuilding firms in the country, with a total revenue of $2.92 billion in 2022, according to the company.

K. Hovnanian has housing developments throughout New Jersey, including projects in Asbury Park, Far Hills, Farmingdale, Howell, Manalapan, Morris Township, Wall and Wharton.

If approved, the Preserve at Freehold would be K. Hovnanian’s second housing development in Freehold in recent years. The company also built the Brooks at Freehold on Three Brooks Road, which features 51 single-family homes. The development began selling units in December 2023.

The proposed subdivision on Monmouth Road and Siloam Road would also help the township meet its obligation to provide affordable housing.

In 2020, Freehold adopted an ordinance to help meet its affordable housing obligations. Officials identified the Brock’s parcel at the corner of Route 537, otherwise known as Monmouth Road, and Siloam Road as one of the possible locations for affordable housing.

MORE: N.J. real estate forecast shows home prices still rising in most towns. See latest list.

The application for the Brock Farm subdivision is under review by the planning board, said Weisslitz, the division president of K. Hovnanian Northeast Division.

Hovnanian had not received a date to appear before the planning board as of last week, Weisslitz said.

The subdivision must also be approved by the Monmouth County Development Review Committee. It has the authority to review all major subdivisions in Monmouth County and site plans affecting county roads and drainage facilities or properties owned or maintained by the county.

Located in Monmouth County, Freehold Township is crisscrossed by several major highways, including Route 9 and Route 33. The township is home to the Freehold Raceway and the Freehold Raceway Mall, the state’s third-largest mall.

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Dick’s Sporting Goods is planning to relocate and enhance one of its New Jersey stores.

The sporting goods retailer is looking to move and remodel its Freehold Raceway Mall store, according to Asbury Park Press. The store is currently located at 650 Trotters Way.

Dick’s submitted a proposal to the Freehold Township Planning Board to open Dick’s House of Sport. The larger store will include batting cages, sports training equipment, an outdoor field, a climbing wall, golfing bays and a “House of Cleats” section.

This would be the first Dick’s House of Sport location in the Garden State. Dick’s currently operates 12 House of Sport locations and plans to open 75 to 100 House of Sport spots by 2027.

The new sporting goods emporium would occupy the building that formerly housed Lord & Taylor before it closed in 2020.

The two-story building encompasses 133,644 square feet of space at 3710 Route 9 in Freehold.

Freehold Township Planning Board is expected to vote on the matter Nov. 30.

Dick’s Sporting Goods originally opened at the Freehold Raceway Mall in 2004.

There are 21 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in New Jersey and over 850 stores nationwide.

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The 150th anniversary Freehold Memorial Day Parade this year has a special T-shirt for sale, to raise funds and community spirit.

Patch Staff

FREEHOLD, NJ — It's a big year - the 150th - for the 2024 Freehold Memorial Day Parade.

And in its first fundraising/community spirit initiative, the public can become part of the excitement with an official 150th anniversary parade T-shirt.

Parade vice chairperson Amanda McCobb, whose mother Alice has chaired the Parade Committee for decades, said the shirts help provide funds for the event and also bring the community together.

"We'd love to see everyone in the parade shirt," Amanda McCobb said.

The Freehold Memorial Day Parade site has an order form for the shirt, which costs $20.

Find out what's happening in Freeholdwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Honoring the Fallen for 150 Years" is the message on the shirt - from Decoration Day of 1874 to Memorial Day of 2024.

Alice McCobb has been a member of the committee for more than 40 years and will be chairing her 36th parade in May of 2024.

She was recognized by the New Jersey State Legislature in October 2022 for her dedication, as you can read in this past Patch article.

Freehold's Memorial Day Parade is one of the most elaborate parades in the state, and Alice McCobb has said it is one of the top 11 oldest parades in the nation, based on the committee's research.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, participation information and other upcoming fundraisers, go to http://www.freeholdmemorialdayparade.com/.

Here is the order form:

Two-minute read

Asbury Park Press

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - School administrators are investigating a cybersecurity incident that forced the district's schools and offices to close on Monday, officials said.

Assistant Superintendent Dianne Martello Brethauer, assistant superintendent for Freehold Township Schools said on the social media platform X Sunday night that schools would be closed for the day due to "technical difficulties related to a cybersecurity event."

School board members had little information beyond what the district said. And they didn't yet know how long the district would be closed.

School closed:Freehold Township schools closed Monday because of 'cybersecurity event'

Michael Amoroso, president of the Freehold Township Board of Education, said Monday morning that he had little information beyond the school's statement and didn't yet know how long the school would be closed.

When will Freehold Township go back to school?

"There’s an ongoing investigation," Amoroso said. "We’ll certainly make an announcement about (Tuesday's schedule) when the time comes. There’s people working on it throughout the day.”

The school district serves students kindergarten through eighth grade in Freehold Township. It had nearly 3,500 students in the 2021-22 school year at five elementary schools, two middle schools and an early childhood learning center.

Cyberattackers try to gain access to information — bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers — that is kept on organizations' computer systems, essentially by trying to steal money from other accounts or by collecting a ransom.

They often gain access to the system by convincing users to click on a disguised link.

The attacks aren't uncommon. CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township about a year ago said it briefly diverted ambulances and alerted some 600,000 customers that their information might have been compromised because of a cyberattack.

CentraState cyberattack:Why are hospitals so vulnerable to hackers?

Schools under attack

Educational and research institutions were the most targeted industry in 2022, with nearly 2,300 attacks each week, according to a report by Check Point, a technology company.

Another report by technology company Sophos found 80% of lower education providers had cyberattacks in 2023, up from 44% two years earlier. Nearly all of the schools regained their data in part because 73% reported they had backups. But 47% also said they paid a ransom.

Last March, the New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell said it had high confidence that educational institutions worldwide would be attractive targets for cyberattacks.

"Students are spending more time online than ever before, using technology to complete homework, communicate with peers, and engage with teachers and school staff," the agency said. "As we become more (dependent) on technology, cybercriminals are becoming more advanced and evolving their cyberattacks techniques, and they will continue to target universities and school districts as many of them do not have adequate resources, funding, or staffing to properly protect and defend their networks."

Analysts said the Freehold Township schools breach is a reminder for organizations to back up their data and train their staff to be aware of tactics used by cyberattackers.

"They don't just look at a school, they don't just look at an industry, they go across the board," said Bruno Tirone, president and chief executive officer of MRA International, a Long Branch-based cybersecurity company.

Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter at the Asbury Park Press who has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.

FREEHOLD, NJ — The Borough Council on Monday approved some modifications to the paid parking management system in borough lots for a six-week "holiday" to address certain concerns of local businesses.

The paid parking holiday includes the following changes, according to the borough:

Borough Administrator Stephen Gallo explained the resolution adjusting paid parking times to the Borough Council at its meeting on Monday. It was the only item on the agenda, and you can hear the full discussion here. The resolution expires April 1 unless extended by the borough.

Gallo said local businesses expressed concern about losing lunchtime business since the paid program went into effect in September, saying customer volume has decreased.

Gallo said this is also a good time to evaluate how the program is running and make adjustments as needed to any "glitches." This time of year also is a slower one for businesses, he added.

Find out what's happening in Freeholdwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mayor Kevin Kane said the borough knew the parking management system would be a "learning experience" going in, although it is committed to the program.

"It's a partnership with the downtown businesses - and we'll listen to them and we are not afraid to make the changes we need to make," Kane said.

The council voted unanimously to approve the holiday.

Gallo said if anyone is confused about if they have to pay, the meters will be locked during free periods and a message will come up saying "parking holiday; no payment due."

There will be a meeting with the parking management company and the borough and borough businesses to discuss the program further.

Funds raised by the parking management system will be "dedicated to repaving parking lots, continuing maintenance, line striping, way-finding signage, landscaping, litter control, snow removal, public safety and land acquisition for new parking opportunities so these costs do not have to be born by Freehold Borough residential and commercial property taxes," the borough says.

For more information call the Freehold Parking Utility at 732 462-4200, x234.

You can read a past Patch article on the introduction of the system here.

This is an updated article that corrects the name of the borough administrator.