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.”

106 Acres to be Preserved in West Deptford (Gloucester County)

You know it's an election season when these reports start coming at a pretty speedy clip. But, hey, we'll take it.

This article originally posted on West Deptford Patch

$1M to Preserve Large West Deptford Farm

More than 100 acres of West Deptford farmland is on track for permanent preservation through Gloucester County’s Farmland Preservation Program, Freeholder Director Robert Damminger announced today.

The 106-acre George H. Urban Farm had been targeted for inclusion in the program since its inception. And the Urban family fought off development offers for years, according to a 2001 Philadelphia Inquirer article.

“This property has been in the Urban family since 1938 and has been an active farm every since. It is one of the last large active farm parcels remaining in West Deptford Township and it is adjacent to more than 42-acres of previously preserved open space,” Damminger said in a statement.

“We are fortunate to be able to preserve 106 acres in West Deptford Township—that much contiguous land is a rare find.”

County freeholders will vote to authorize the farm’s development rights, agreement of sale and other documents at their meeting tonight, Oct. 17. If all goes well, settlement should occur in the next few weeks.

The farm costs $1,010,800 to preserve, an amount based on a certified value by the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), according to the county. Gloucester County is eligible for about $600,000 in reimbursement from SADC. The remaining costs will be covered by the county’s open space funds.

Urban Farm straddles Ogden Station Road and includes field crops and vegetables.

“The county is grateful that the Urban family has now chosen to preserve the property through the Farmland Preservation Program,” Damminger said, “as this will ensure that the property’s agricultural operations remain in place in perpetuity and that its rich agricultural heritage will never be lost.”

Gloucester County to Expand Scotland Run Park

Originally appeared on NJ.com

As part of a move to preserve open space in Gloucester County, the Board of Chosen Freeholders plans to acquire land in Clayton and Monroe Township. The property, which is currently approved for development, would be used as an addition to Scotland Run Park. The decision comes at the same time as the county announced plans to set aside space in Swedesboro and Greenwich Township as well.

Officials were especially eager to acquire the land, which consists of 39 contiguous acres in Monroe Township and Clayton, because adding property to parks is no easy task.

“Any opportunities the county has to expand our parks—they’re very rare,” said Ken Atkinson, Director of the Gloucester County Office of Land Preservation.

“When those opportunities come along we’re very careful to exert our efforts to secure those lands.”

The Scotland Run purchase will be made directly by the county, and remain county property after the purchase is made. It differs from the other preservation work, including that of Swedesboro, in how the the land is being acquired.

In Swedesboro, the open spaces being set aside will be owned by the municipality, not the county, under the auspices of the Gloucester County Open Space Program. After settlement is made on the parcel of land, jurisdiction over the property will belong to Swedesboro.

The land in East Greenwich is being set aside with not just help from the state, but from the federal government as well. Gloucester County is eligible for reimbursement from the US Department of Agriculture of nearly half the cost of 114 acres of farmland in the township—a total of about $1 million in aid. Because the land in East Greenwich is being preserved under the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program, preservation is more complicated than a simple purchase.

“When the county identifies a property that we hope to preserve through farmland preservation, the county doesn’t buy the property outright,” Atkinson said.

Instead, the county simply purchases easement rights to the property, which place a deed restriction on how the land can be used. The original owner will retain the right to use and sell the property, but when it is sold, it can only be used for farming.

Some of the land in Clayton was originally approved for residential development. The building of 23 homes had been approved for the spot by local government. However, Debra Sellitto, director of communications for Gloucester County, explained that this approval did not mean any plans for building had been made.

“If it’s approved for construction, that only means it’s allowed to happen,” she said.

“It still means that anyone can acquire it. The county and municipality came together to purchase it from the property owner, then set it aside as open space.”

The new land dedicated to Scotland Run would bring the total area of the park to 993 acres.

Because the land Gloucester County is purchasing to add to Scotland Run costs more than $100,000, the Board of Freeholders must hold a public hearing to allow residents to voice their concerns, if any. The meeting has been scheduled for Sept. 5.