WALL TOWNSHIP — Wall Township officials want residents to know that they turned to eminent domain in an attempt to preserve the Quail Ridge Golf World property, according to an official township public statement.
If Wall Township acquires Quail Ridge Golf World through eminent domain, officials say the township will continue to operate the property as a golf facility.
Wall Township Committeeman and Planning Board member Tim Farrell spoke to The Coast Star this week on the matter.
“The only reason we are now using eminent domain is because we want to preserve it as the driving range, pitch and putt and miniature golf,” Farrell said. “It’s a beautiful piece of property, and we certainly don’t want warehouses on it. We didn’t want to condemn the property. We also would like to expand the hours, and make it more accessible to the residents and community.”
Meanwhile, Rob Mueller, owner of Quail Ridge Golf World, said in a written statement to The Coast Star, that he, too, is committed to maintaining the site as a golf facility, despite his COVID-era attempt to sell the property to a warehouse developer.
“This situation began in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mueller wrote. “As businesses were forced to close and people were urged to stay home, Quail Ridge faced an incredibly difficult reality, one that put my livelihood at risk…I feared losing everything I had built over decades. Faced with what I believed were my only options: selling the land or facing bankruptcy, I made the painful decision to accept an offer from a buyer. At the time, I truly thought I had no other choice. It was heartbreaking to imagine saying goodbye to Quail Ridge after 45 years.”
Mueller continued, “As restrictions were lifted, Quail Ridge’s future took an unexpected turn for the better, something I hadn’t foreseen,” Mueller wrote. “That’s when I realized I had acted too quickly. Being given another opportunity to continue operating the business I love was everything to me. This place has been my home for 47 years…I can’t imagine life without Quail Ridge.”
“I allowed the contract to run out, and have since continued to operate Quail Ridge with immense pride,” Mueller wrote. “I am incredibly grateful that I was granted an opportunity to continue operating the driving range, pitch & putt and miniature golf, and I sincerely appreciate the support of our patrons. We hope you will continue to stand by us and attend upcoming meetings as we move forward.”
In the official statement posted on the Wall Township website, wallnj.gov, on Feb. 21, it reads that the township is legally obligated and committed to provide the Quail Ridge Golf World at 4130 W. Hurley Pond Road property owner with just compensation, after a failed good-faith negotiation process over the course of the last 14 months.
In the statement, the township says the condemnation proceeding would be completed “pursuant to an appraisal that appraises the highest and best use in accordance with applicable law,” and goes on to say that “This includes consideration of all submissions by the property owner and matters in the public record, including a 2023 Planning Board application that was filed by the property owner’s then-contract purchaser to develop the property into an industrial park with 185,250 square feet of buildings.”
The township’s statement reads that the acquisition of the property would be “for open space and recreation purposes,” and “would allow the township to ensure continued operation of the property as a driving range and golfing facility for years to come.”
The statement also said that the acquisition of the property would further the township’s master plan goals, including preserving public open space and the development of recreation facilities.
Township seeks eminent domain
The statement by the township states, “After the property owner refused to further engage in these negotiations, on Feb. 12, 2025, the Township Committee introduced an ordinance to approve the acquisition of the property through eminent domain.”
The township’s statement also outlines that the township committee will consider a final adoption of the condemnation ordinance upon completion of a final appraisal, which will “authorize the township to initiate the appropriate proceedings in superior court to acquire the Quail Ridge Golf World property for generations to come.”
The planning board application mentioned in the township’s statement, dated 2023 and submitted by Schulco Real Estate LLC, called for the construction of “an industrial park consisting of three buildings” at the Quail Ridge Golf World property, at Block 942 Lot 65.01. Schulco Real Estate, LLC is a full service commercial real estate development, management and consulting company, according to its website.
The application was scheduled for a first hearing on Sept. 11, 2023, but that meeting was cancelled. The application was then carried to Nov. 6, then to the Feb. 5, 2024 meeting, also cancelled.
Background
The Wall Township Committee introduced an ordinance relating to the potential future condemnation of the Quail Ridge Golf World property at the Feb. 12 public meeting, with special counsel Michael Collins of King, Moench and Collins LLP presenting a draft ordinance to the committee.
“As the committee will recall, back in December 2023, the township committee adopted a resolution that authorized the initiation of good faith negotiations for the acquisition of that property, all in accordance with New Jersey’s Eminent Domain Act,” Collins said. “Over the past 14 months, the township has been engaged in those very negotiations, but we are at a point where it appears those negotiations have been fulfilled, but will not be successful. So, as a result, that frees up the township to pursue the next step under the Eminent Domain Act, which is the initiation of a condemnation proceeding.”
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