Hopewell Township endorses open space scheme for St. Michael’s area

Under resolution passed Monday, the township’s share of paying for the land will be determined at a future date and may not exceed $808,000

By John Tredrea
   An open space acquisition that would preserve 560 acres of township land near Hopewell Borough, if the deal goes through, was endorsed by a unanimous vote of the full Hopewell Township Committee on Monday afternoon.
   The 560 acres includes all but 20 acres of the 380-acre St. Michael’s tract, owned by the Diocese of Trenton, plus 200 more acres adjacent to the St. Michael’s property. The St. Michael’s land is located off the eastern side of Carter Road just south of Hopewell Borough.
   Because negotiations on the proposed acquisition still are under way, officials would not identity the other property owners.
   During the Nov. 28 Township Committee meeting, Deputy Mayor Mark Iorio identified the St. Michael’s tract as the major property involved.
   Under the resolution passed Monday during the committee’s agenda meeting, the township’s share of paying for the land will be determined at a future date and may not exceed $808,000. Any expenditure would have to be approved by another committee vote.
   The Delaware and Raritan (D&R) Greenway, a nonprofit land trust that works to conserve open space and farmland, is the lead agency in the negotiations with St. Michael’s and other property owners. Also involved in the negotiations, along with the township and Hopewell Borough, are the state’s Green Acres program and officials from the county’s open space trust fund.
   Before the committee voted Monday, Township Attorney Steve Goodell said: "The D&R needs some kind of indication that the township is for this (the open space acquisition)." Mr. Goodell said passing the resolution means the D&R "can publicly say the township is on board."
   "It (the proposed land acquisition) is in process and we’re endorsing that process" with the resolution. "It doesn’t compel us to spend any money," said Committeeman David Sandahl before the vote.
   Area officials say that the acquisition is not nearly as close to completion as was reported in the HVN last week.
   "It could take 12 to 24 months to complete this," Hopewell Borough Councilman David Knights said Monday. Mr. Iorio was quoted last week as saying the deal could be closed in 30 to 45 days. Mr. Knights was one of several officials to say the negotiations will take much longer than that to complete.
   Mr. Knights, a borough councilman and Planning Board member, also was one of several officials to say the $8 million estimate — provided last week by an anonymous source — on how much the land would cost was too low. None of the officials, however, would give an estimate on how much the land would ultimately cost.
   "A lot of work has been done on this. There’s a lot more left to do," said Mr. Knights, who said preservation of the 560 acres would be "a fantastic benefit." Trails on the land are one of the topics covered by the negotiations, he added. "The borough and township need to be partners on this," he said.