Restrictions would be kept in place
By John Tredrea, Special Writer
A 130-acre farm which has been permanently preserved for agricultural use will be put up for auction by West Amwell Township, which owns the farm, at 1 p.m. Friday, March 14.
A residence is permitted on two of the 130 acres that have frontage on both Route 179 and Rocktown-Lambertville Road. A structure on that two acres is “in need of extensive renovation,” a bid packet issued by the township says. The remaining 128-acre portion on tract, located off Route 179 and known locally as the Toll/Coleman Farm, must be preserved as farmland under a deed restriction.
The farm was purchased for preservation in March 2010 with $825,000 from the Hunterdon Land Trust Alliance and $675,000 from the township government.
West Amwell Township Clerk Lora Olsen said the land is being offered for sale “because the township doesn’t need to be in the land business. Selling the property would put it back on the tax rolls.” In the bid documents, estimated taxes are $7,147.
The sealed-bid auction will be held at the township municipal building at 150 Rocktown-Lambertville Road. Bids must be received by Ms. Olsen by 12:59 p.m. that day. Minimum bid is $400,000. Bidders must submit a $20,000 deposit in the form of a cashier’s or certified check. The deposit will be applied to the successful bidder’s payment for the property. Deposits submitted by unsuccessful bidders will be returned promptly without interest.
Following the close of the auction, the successful bidder will be required to sign, before March 31, “an agreement for sale of real property by auction.”
The 130 acres includes agricultural fields and woodlands. Electricity and telephone service are available to the site. The property is qualified for farmland assessment, and annual real estate taxes are estimated at $7,147, the township’s bid packet on the upcoming auction states.
A survey and a 2008 preliminary environmental assessment of the property are on file in the township clerk’s office.

