Robbinsville: ‘Top priority’ parcel preserved

Staff report
    ROBBINSVILLE — The township has officially preserved one of its “top priority” parcels, eliminating the potential for 49 single-family homes on the property and maintaining a scenic “vista” in town.
    The township closed on the purchase of the 153-acre Princeton Research Lands property at the corner of Robbinsville-Edinburg and Line Roads on Jan. 20.
    “When I became mayor, I was determined to set our sights on the largest parcels in town so that passersby would enjoy them for generations,” said Mayor Dave Fried in a statement released last week. “In 2006, we saved the Herman-Updike Farm leading into the Village of Windsor. By preserving this property, we have protected two of the most important vistas in the township.”
    The purchase price for the property, owned by W. Bryce Thompson, was $8.82 million. It will be financed in large part by a $8.3 million bond ordinance approved in October.
    The site, located north of Robbinsville High School leading into West Windsor, had received preliminary approval for homes with septic systems, according to a township release.
    “Saving this land makes all the preserved land around it that much more valuable,” Mayor Fried said. “It would have been sad to see it developed; without sewers, large houses would have filled up the landscape. Instead, we have saved a true prize that our children and grandchildren will enjoy.”
    The Princeton Research Lands property is one of three “top priority” properties the township sought to preserve in 2008, officials said.
    In June, the Township Council approved a $1.6 million bond ordinance for the purchase of the 52-acre Somerset Golf property owned by Van Cleef Engineering. The third property, the 220-acre Edinburg Village parcel, is expected to be preserved this year, officials said.