Route 92 property in dispute
By: David Weinstein
About 85 acres of farmland the N.J. Turnpike Authority says is slated for proposed Route 92 was excluded by the county from an agricultural preservation zone.
The Middlesex County Agricultural Development Board, however, approved designation of about 2,700 acres on the eastern side of South Brunswick as an Agricultural Development Area, which makes the land eligible for state farmland preservation.
The board made its decision July 19. The board expects to vote on a resolution approving the zone in South Brunswick.
South Brunswick officials said Tuesday they will appeal the decision to withhold the approximately 85 acres to the state Agricultural Development Board. No time frame for that appeal has been set.
The Turnpike Authority told the board the land in question, if designated an agricultural zone, would cause legal problems if Route 92 were to be built, said board Chairman Peter Cantu, mayor of Plainsboro.
South Brunswick officials said Tuesday those 85 acres in limbo could affect six farms totaling 300 acres.
South Brunswick also claims that two members of the board should have recused themselves because they have been vocal supporters of the highway. The board backed the zone by a 5-0 vote. Mayor Cantu and Vice Chairman Alan Danser, mayor of Cranbury, have voiced support for the construction of Route 92 in its present alignment. Also voting in favor were Stanley Stults of Cranbury and Thomas Harvey, Planning Board chairman in Cranbury, and Roy Etsh of Monroe.
William Griffin, a board member from Plainsboro, abstained from the vote, citing his ownership of farmland in South Brunswick as a possible conflict of interest. Lenora Farber, a Monroe councilwoman, abstained as well.
If approved, the zone will create the potential for a contiguous greenbelt stretching from the Plainsboro line to Sondek Park on New Road and Tall Timbers Park on Culver Road, and other properties in the township that are being pursued for open space preservation. The zone is in the vicinity of Broadway, Rowland and Friendship roads.
Creation of the zone will allow property owners to petition the board for enduring, deed-restricted protection from development under state farmland laws. The deed-restriction would stay on the property regardless of who owned it.
The Township Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to appeal the board’s decision to the state. Councilman Ted Van Hessen was absent from the meeting, but has in the past been a vocal opponent of Route 92, and a vocal proponent of farmland preservation.
Route 92, as proposed, would run 6.7 miles from Exit 8A of the Turnpike to Route 1 near Ridge Road. It would be an elevated, four-lane, limited-access toll road. It is being reviewed by the Army Corps of Engineers to determine if environmental permits should be issued.
South Brunswick officials said this week that while the Turnpike Authority does have easement rights to those 85 acres, the number of farm acres actually effected could rise to 300 because the easement would split six different farms down the middle, possibly robbing the land of a prime rating the state requires for farmland to be moved into farmland preservation.
"The board, in its infinite wisdom, would make 200 to 300 acres of farmland useless," Councilman Frank Gambatese said.
Mr. Gambatese also said Mayor Cantu could not be objective about the South Brunswick application.
"He’s been very vocal in his support of Route 92," Mr. Gambatese said.
"I think it’s disingenuous. The original path of Route 92 went through Plainsboro, his town, and now that land is in ADA and Route 92 is not going through there. Both he and Danser should’ve stepped down from this application," Mr. Gambatese said.
Mayor Danser has also been vocal in his support of the highway.
Mayor Cantu said he believed Route 92 was not an issue.
"South Brunswick has lobbied long and hard against 92," Mr. Cantu said Tuesday afternoon.
"That effort is on-going, as is the environmental impact study of the road. If it turns out the road is not built, South Brunswick is welcome to come back and reapply for those acres," he said.
"I don’t think 92 is an issue in this," Mayor Cantu said, saying the issue at hand was about farmland preservation and not stopping the construction of highways.
"The breadth and width of the area is very large, and we accepted about 99 percent of it. So you can see the board is committed. It was a lengthy process. We can’t discriminate, in a public hearing, who provides testimony before us. We then have to consider that testimony. If South Brunswick is serious about farmland preservation, the amount of acreage the board approved should allow them to go forward," Mayor Cantu said.
Mayor Danser also has voiced support for the construction of Route 92 in its present alignment.
Township Manager Matthew Watkins also was critical in his view of Mayor Cantu’s place at the hearing.
"The board is chaired by the mayor of Plainsboro, of course it would turn out like this," he said.
"The road will add property value to the homes in Plainsboro, but won’t do squat for South Brunswick. Mayor Cantu has spoken for this road in its present alignment many times. This is not surprising," Mr. Watkins said.
The appeal, Mr. Watkins said Tuesday, will take time. Regardless, the position South Brunswick has taken on Route 92, open space and farmland preservation, speaks for itself, he said.
"We have spent thousands of dollars on the issue of Route 92, and millions on open space preservation, part of which is farmland preservation, which the township and the agricultural community has worked hard at. We’ll continue to do that," he said.