MANALAPAN — One of the few surviving farms on the Route 9 commercial corridor will be on the auction block this month.
The 135-acre farm on Route 9 south at the corner of Pine Brook Road was entered into New Jersey’s farmland preservation program years ago and will remain deed-restricted to agricultural uses, according to the firm that will conduct the auction.
The property is familiar to anyone who has seen the farm’s large red barn near the intersection of the state highway and the two-lane township road.
Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co. has scheduled the auction for 11 a.m. March 25 at the Radisson Hotel, 50 Gibson Place, Freehold Township. Individuals who are interested in obtaining more information about the auction may call 888-299-1438.
According to a press release, the farm has more than 1,700 feet of frontage along Route 9 south. The property includes a fourbedroom home with rental income, a 1,792- square-foot commercial building, a 30-foot by 24-foot workshop/garage, a 1,640- square-foot barn and a 1,056-square-foot barn. The property generates $5,200 annually in billboard rental income.
Max Spann, of the Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Co., said the commercial building, a former residence, on Route 9 south is excluded from the farmland preservation deed restriction and may continue to house commercial and/or professional uses as it has in the past.
The deed restriction on the farm limits uses to farming, livestock, a nursery, limited greenhouses and agritourism, according to Spann.
Agritourism is defined as a commercial enterprise at a working farm that is conducted for the enjoyment of visitors and generates supplemental farm income, according to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
The farm on Route 9 south is owned by the Wikoff family. Spann said the family will continue to farm the property it owns on Route 9 north, directly across from the farm that is being auctioned off.