I have owned, operated and lived on a standardbred horse farm in Manalapan since 1972 and have been a lifelong resident of this area as I was born and raised in Freehold Borough. During the last 50-plus years I have seen the Monmouth County landscape drastically change from one filled with rural farms to one packed with homes of suburban commuters. This is growth, for better or worse, and it is happening across all of America.
We cannot change such growth, but we can be fair and equitable to the long-held owners of farmland and not destroy their farm values by discriminatory rezoning (of) their current potential building lot sizes to much larger parcels. This so-called down-zoning amounts to an unreasonable taking of one’s property values without just compensation and is contrary to our American way of life.
Unfortunately, such proposals are currently before the Planning Board in Manalapan, where they want to increase minimum lot sizes from 3 to 6 acres, as well as in other surrounding communities.
I am a member of Farmers Against Rezoning Manalapan (FARM), which has taken an active role in trying to educate the public to the inequity and unfairness of this down-zoning proposal.
We have conducted a public awareness campaign with newspaper advertisements, letters, signs, petitions, discussions, etc., and are very thankful to the public for their overwhelming support and understanding. If we can convince the Planning Board of this support we can hopefully defeat this down-zoning proposal which appears to be totally political in nature.
A few of our arguments against this down-zoning are as follows. Manalapan’s farmland has been zoned for 3-acre building since 1986 and in these last 15 years there have been no 3-acre developments.
If every landowner did decide to build on current 3-acre zoning (which will not happen) there could only be several hundred more homes built in the entire area. Potential homeowners neither want nor can take care of 3-acre lots, no less 6-acre lots. Down-zoning is unfair and discriminatory and will destroy farmers’ values and equities.
Ask yourself then, for what purpose other than political headlines does the Planning Board propose an increase in minimum lot sizes to 6 acres?
A greater required area for homes means less area available for the farmland and open space they claim they want to save. Also, by destroying farm values they destroy the farmers, and without farmers there will be no farms.
There will be another public hearing on this matter on Oct. 3 at the Manalapan municipal building at 8 p.m. Members of FARM would appreciate your support at this meeting and by signing our petitions which are available in local stores and online at www.saveourfarmonline.com.
Michael D. Sherman
Manalapan