County confirms interest in Montgomery’s Skillman Village site

By Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
   MONTGOMERY — In a letter to the Montgomery Township Committee and Mayor Cecilia Birge, Somerset County Freeholder Director Peter Palmer has confirmed the freeholders’ interest in the Skillman Village property.
   The letter, dated Monday, says the freeholders are interested in “discussions concerning the purchase and/or partnering for the preservation of open space” at the property. The committee was asked to provide detailed information, including maps and anticipated uses, to the county Open Space Advisory Committee.
   The Open Space Advisory Committee, along with the county Planning Board and Park Commission, reviews applications and makes recommendations to the Board of Chosen Freeholders for grant money. Established by the county in 1995, the County/Municipal Open Space Partnership Grant Program assists municipalities in the acquisition of open space in order to advance preservation efforts.
   If the information is provided in time, the Open Space Advisory Committee will discuss the proposal at its meeting Nov. 12, the letter states.
   Mayor Birge formed a subcommittee at the Township Committee meeting Thursday night to spearhead efforts to partner with the county. She asked committee members Louise Wilson, a former mayor and Mark Caliguire, the lone Republican on the committee, to work together to “vigorously pursue the funding.”
   Mr. Palmer expressed interest last week in the 240-acre Skillman property as an opportunity to establish a park in the southern region of the county.
   The township will pursue a partnership with the county no matter what form it may take, Mayor Birge said.
   ”Everything is on the table,” she said.
   Mr. Caliguire initially approached Mr. Palmer about the possibility of the county purchasing the entire property as open space.
   The township has been under fire recently, as none of the developers tapped by the township submitted plans for the 40-acre, mixed-use portion of the site, which was considered crucial for the township to recoup some of the $20 million spent on the property.
   If the county purchased the land, it would allow the township to get out from under its debt, Mr. Caliguire said.
   Township Mayor Cecilia Birge and Ms. Wilson, who said they don’t want the township to lose control of the uses of the land, attended the freeholders’ workshop last week. They pressed the freeholders about their level of interest in the property.
   At the Township Committee’s meeting, Ms. Wilson and Mayor Birge expressed doubt that the county is serious about the proposal. Ms. Birge said the freeholders seemed to be “backpedaling,” while Ms. Wilson said they were “ducking and weaving” when pressed on the issue at their meeting.
   Mr. Caliguire, however, said it was the first time they had heard the proposal and, naturally, they were “confused” about what the committee wanted.
   ”You were trying to get them to commit to something they couldn’t legally commit to anyway,” he said to Mayor Birge and Ms. Wilson.
   Several residents spoke up about the proposal during the meeting’s public comment.
   Nancy DiFazio, who lives in the Skillman area, said she is in favor of the land becoming a park controlled by the county. Though she would like the amenities that the development would provide, the economic reality is that they may not come without a lot of undesirable housing, she said.
   ”We’re losing sight of the fact that nobody wants residential (development),” she said.
   Ms. DiFazio added that she doesn’t want to see additional traffic as a result of more houses.
   Sarah Roberts, of Montgomery, asked the committee to keep in mind the years of community input on the project.
   ”I don’t think that those results should be abandoned,” she said.