Hazlet

Originally founded as Raritan Township in 1848, the Township of Hazlet encompasses a land area of 5.60 square miles in the county’s Bayshore Region. To establish a clearer identity and to differentiate it from three other New Jersey towns of the same name, the township changed its name to Hazlet in 1967 after Dr. John Hazlett, an early settler. Hazlet residents have convenient rail and highway access to New York City and other North Jersey employment centers. The Route 35 and 36 corridors serve as the primary location of  retail, office, and commercial enterprises. The 88.5-acre Veterans Park, which houses a community center, swim and tennis club, and the municipal building, offers residents a wide variety of recreational and social activities. Source:  www.hazlettwp.org 

In 2014, Hazlet designated the entire Township as an “Area in Need of Rehabilitation.” It qualified for this designation because more than 60 percent of its housing stock is over 50 years old. This allows Hazlet to use the powers of redevelopment, with the exception of eminent domain, including granting long-term tax exemptions. Having no central business district, commercial uses are primarily concentrated along State Highways 35 and 36. According to the county’s  Bayshore Region Strategic Plan (2006 ) , Hazlet seeks to encourage redevelopment within its Highway 36 corridor. Adopted in 2018, the “ Hazlet Town Center Redevelopment Plan ” encourages the redevelopment and adaptive reuse of buildings on a 19.9-acre property located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Highway 35 and Bethany Road. In 2018, the Township launched its Roadway Restoration Program, which identified 110 municipal roads in need of repair or improvement. Proposed improvements include repaving, drainage, striping, ADA ramp construction, and replacing curbs and driveway aprons. Roadway repairs began in 2019 and will be completed in phases with partial funding from NJDOT grants. Since 2019, 14.9 miles or 22 percent of the municipality’s roads have been restored. Hazlet's longtime planning vision of enhancing pedestrian safety and creating a welcoming gateway at Veterans Park is being realized with the construction of new sidewalks at the park entrance. The intersection was chosen for expansion with community input during the County’s Bayshore Strategic Plan and reaffirmed as a priority in the Hazlet 2030 Vision Plan, with the aim of creating safer connectivity by providing  new biking and walking paths. In 2021, Hazlet initiated an effort to revitalize the 8 ^th  Street Park in the West Keansburg neighborhood by incorporating feedback from Hazlet’s youth,  a key project stakeholder. The project was awarded funding through NJDEP’s Green Acres program as well as a grant from Monmouth County’s Open Space program. Hazlet was included in the county’s  Naval Weapons Station Earle Joint Land Use Study , completed in 2019. Hazlet received an environmental assessment report for Natco Lake Park that provides pertinent information to help guide conservation management and enhancement of the park, as well as potential solutions for the heavy tick population along park trails. The report released in February 2022 will help guide the renovation of Natco Park's trails this year. Hazlet was awarded $250,000 by the Monmouth County Open Space Grant and qualified for a $600,000 Green Acres low-interest loan. The $1.3 million park renovation project will include a playground designed for all children, a multi-purpose ball court, shaded picnic tables, a pavilion, an open field for sports and entertainment events, and an exercise loop for walking, jogging, or pushing a stroller.  Source:  Hazlet Town Center Redevelopment Plan ,  www.hazlettownship.org. 

• Average Residential Taxes: $9,048
• Median Home Value: $384,702
• Net Valuation: $2,956,539,453

Source:  New Jersey Department of Community Affairs - Property Tax Tables 

• Community Rating System (CRS) Classification: 6
• Sustainable Jersey Participation Status: Registered

Sources:  Sustainable Jersey ,  Federal Emergency Management Agency