Salem County Town Adding 17 Acres to Park

Be vewy qwiet, I'm hunting open space.

Sorry.

This article originally appeared in South Jersey Times.

Officials will look to expand Elmer Community Park with new open space purchase

ELMER — Though Salem County currently leads the state in total acres of preserved farmland under the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program, local and county officials this week announced the first major “open space” acquisition in the county.

Salem County freeholders, in cooperation with officials in Elmer and Upper Pittsgrove, have reached an agreement to set aside 17 acres of land in Elmer as open space, with the goal of eventually expanding Elmer Community Park.

According to Upper Pittsgrove Mayor Jack Cimprich, his township had been looking to preserve a 117 acre piece of property known as the “Anthony Estate Farm.”

Most of the farm — roughly 100 acres — falls in Upper Pittsgrove, but 17 acres of the land is located in eastern Elmer, along Harding Highway adjacent to the borough’s baseball fields.

“We were looking at preserving the entire property as farmland,” said Cimprich. “But when (Deputy Freeholder Director) Ben Laury took me out there to walk the property, he pointed out that the Elmer parcel could be preserved as open space and used to expand Elmer Community Park — providing much-needed space for all our residents.”

As a result, the decision was made to move forward with sectioning off the 17-acres to set aside the parcel as open space, marking the first major open space project for Salem County, officials said.

Since 2002, two-cents of every tax dollar paid by Salem County taxpayers has been directed into a fund for open space and farmland preservation. Until this point, however, those funds have been used exclusively toward funding farmland preservation.

The 17-acre parcel will cost $160,000 to purchase. Fifty-percent of the cost, or $80,000, will be provided through a state grant under the New Jersey Green Acres program. An additional $40,000 will be provided through the county’s dedicated fund, and the remaining $40,000 will be funded by Elmer.

According to Elmer Councilman Steve Schalick, the borough became interested in the property nearly five years ago when it was put up for sale.

“We looked at it then, and thought it would be a good place to expand the park,” said Schalick.

Freeholder Lee Ware — liaison to county Agricultural Development Board, which oversees farmland preservation and open space programs — said obtaining the property marked a win for everyone involved.

“This is a good thing for Elmer and a good thing for the county,” said Ware. “It’s a win all around, and it fits in perfectly with everyone’s master plans.”

Laury added that an expanded park in Elmer will benefit all Salem County residents.

“This park expansion gives residents throughout the area access to a large open space for athletic fields to promote healthy activities," he said. "We are proud to work with all the interested parties in finding a way to give our neighbors a gift we can all share.”

The remaining 100-acres of the Anthony Estate are still slated to enter into farmland preservation, though that part of the process is still in the works, officials said.

West Orange Letting Nature Take Over on 10,000 Sq. Ft. Parcel

Here's one more we somehow missed last summer. At 10,000 square feet, this plot is less than 1/4 an acre, but we appreciate that West Orange plans to just let nature take its course there.

This article was originally posted on West Orange Patch.

West Orange Adds to Its Open Space

The amount of open space in West Orange continues to grow. 

The property at 7 Belgrade Terrace was acquired by the township at the beginning of July. The 10,000 square-foot lot was purchased for approximately $60,000 using money from the Open Space Trust Fund and the township. 

The township should receive a reimbursement of at least half of the purchase price from New Jersey Green Acres Planning Incentive Grant. 

Municipal Engineer Leonard Lepore said that said the township was in communication with the neighbors on Belgrade Terrace and they supported the purchase. 

By purchasing the property, Lepore said it prevents anyone from removing trees, which could negatively affect water runoff in the surrounding area. 

“West Orange has long supported open space preservation for our growing conservation and recreation needs,” wrote Mayor Robert Parisi in a press release. “A permanent deed restriction on land helps preserve historic, scenic and recreational areas of our Township.”

The township owns two other lots on the street at 15 and 19 Belgrade Terrace, and both are also about 10,000 square feet. These other two properties were acquired in a swap with the property owner in an effort to prevent development on the properties, said Lepore.  

“In this one we will just let nature keep taking over,” said Lepore, “because that’s what it is now.” 

Former Auction Site in Swedesboro Preserved

Somehow we missed this back in July. Alas. It's a small purchase, but as we once saw on press material for one town's preservation organization, "Every Acre Counts."

This originally was posted on the Gloucester County Times

Gloucester County, Swedesboro to preserve former auction site on Leahy Avenue

The former Swedesboro Auction property is located on Leahy Avenue.

SWEDESBORO — Swedesboro officials have big plans for the Swedesboro Auction property, a three-acre tract of land on Leahy Avenue that wasincorporated into the county’s open space plan this week.

“We are only three-quarters of a square mile, but we are rich in history,” said Diane Hale, a Swedesboro councilwoman.

Until the mid 1990s, area farmers would bring their produce to the Swedesboro market to be sold. Campbell’s Soup Co. was known to make its tomato soup with tomatoes grown at borough farms.

To preserve the history, the county chipped in about $255,000 to the borough’s $85,000 to purchase the land from Swedesboro Auction, Inc. The Gloucester County Freeholders voted to authorize the payment and will incorporate the land into the Open Space Preservation Program.

When the property settlement is complete, the borough will own it, leaving Hale and the Economic Development Commission to enact plans for the plot.

“We’re going to make it into a park and do some history so people can see it,” said Helen Fromm, member of the town’s economic development commission.

While the plans are only rough sketches of what the group envisions, Fromm said the site could include historical information about Swedesboro and Woolwich’s agricultural heritage. Plus, the site — which includes several buildings where farmers would showcase and bid on produce — could be transformed into a music venue or temporary ice skating rink in the winter.

Marco Lentini, a member of the borough economic development commission, said the reinvigoration of Swedesboro shouldn’t stop at its downtown area.

“You have a revitalization of downtown,” he said. “But you can’t neglect other parts of Swedesboro.”

Franklin Township (Hunterdon County) Farm Preserved

Chalk up another 36 acres for all of us acre whores!

This story originally appeared in the Hunterdon County Democrat.

Franklin Township's High Plains Farm to be preserved

FRANKLIN TWP. — High Plains Farm is in the farmland preservation process, says John DeMarrais, chairman of the township Open Space Committee.

The farmland consists of 36 acres on the Cherryville-Quakertown Road that belong to Linda Peterson and are adjacent to her family’s farmland, which is already preserved.

The development rights to High Plains Farm will cost $223,200, with the state paying 60% and the county and township each paying 20%.

With only a few administrative details pending, the closing will take place any month now, says DeMarrais.

The land has the desirable “Quakertown soil,” a sandy loam “that is some of the best in the state” for agriculture, says DeMarrais.

The township’s open-space tax garners about $270,000 a year, with much of it going to pay off previous purchases, he said.

256 Acres Preserved Around Carrier Clinic, Somerset County

I used to live near here, and love when I hear about their continued efforts to preserve land. Route 601, where Carrier Clinic is located, is loaded with open space. It's a beautiful road, unlike parts of nearby Route 206, which has been bitch-slapped by short-sighted, "profits are all that matter" developers before.

This post comes courtesy Patch.com.

County to Preserve Land Around Carrier Clinic

Somerset County will preserve 256 acres of wooded open space surrounding Carrier Clinic in the Belle Mead section of the township.

The county came to the planning board on Thursday evening to ask for a minor subdivision of the parcel that lies in both Hillsborough and Montgomery.

According to William Robertson, deputy Somerset County counsel, Carrier Clinic owns 367 acres, 99 of which are in Hillsborough. The county will be acquiring 256 acres.

Of the 99 acres in Hillsborough, Carrier Clinic will retain nearly 18 acres to be used for a solar installation. That project has already been approved by the Board of Adjustment.

Tom Bocino, of the Somerset County Engineering Department, said the open space will become part of the county’s Sourland Mountain Preserve.

Bocino said the space will be used for passive recreation and the only possible construction in the future would be a trail system.

“We do not propose any improvements,” he said.

He said that a vacant house in the northwestern part of the property would be demolished. Bocino also said a part of the property is also farmed and that will continue until the county completes an assessment.

One of the largest private, not-for-profit behavioral healthcare facilities in New Jersey, Carrier Clinic, specializes in psychiatric and substance abuse addiction treatment on the inpatient and residential levels.

Without discussion, the board unanimously approved the subdivision.

Robertson said the county will also be seeking approval from Montgomery.

Delaware Township Preserves 24 Acres

A little acre whore love before we head to bed. My, that sounds dirty.

Originally appeared on NJ.com.

Four, 6-acre building lots are being preserved in Delaware Township

DELAWARE TWP. — Four approved building lots of 6 acres each on Locktown-Sergeantsville Road will be preserved for $663,000. The land is owned by longtime resident Harriet Fisher and adjoins a farm where a proposal to “harvest” spring water for bottling was denied two years ago.

The deal was arranged by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the land would connect to other preserved property.

On Jan. 30 the Township Committee approved spending $40,775 of the money raised by the township open space tax. The rest of the money will come from county, state and federal tax dollars: $132,600 will come from Hunterdon County’s open space fund; $249,625 from the state Agriculture Development Committee; and $240,000 from the federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.

The lots were subdivided from a 70-acre farm at the intersection of Reading and Locktown-Sergeantsville roads.

Harriet’s son, Charlie, had sought Board of Adjustment approval to “harvest” 43,200 gallons of spring water daily for bottling. He wanted to pipe water from springs to new silos that would have replaced feed silos next to a former dairy barn on the remaining land at Spring Meadow Farm.

He said that water tanker trucks emptying the silos would have been similar to the bulk trucks that once took milk from the farm. The Fishers’ dairy operation was replaced by crop farming. The family previously preserved three other farms nearby.

The Board of Adjustment denied the application in 2010, feeling it wasn’t a suitable use. During the hearing process, Fisher said that water harvesting would allow the family to keep the land open. Had it been approved, he had promised to sign a promissory note with the New Jersey Conservation Foundation to preserve the land and create a habitat for threatened and endangered species by creating “wetter wetlands” and planting native species.

Prior to the water harvesting application, the family had subdivided the four building lots from the rest of the farm.