MONROE — Municipal officials are moving closer to their goal of preserving more than 50 percent of Monroe Township, which covers about 43 square miles.
On March 5, Township Council members approved cross-share funding for the $1 million purchase of a 37-acre tract at the corner of Federal and Gravel Hill roads.
“Monroe has long prioritized farmland preservation,” Mayor Gerald W. Tamburro said in a prepared statement.
With this latest acquisition, Monroe is approaching nearly 8,000 acres of preserved property in the township.
Under an agreement with the State Agriculture Development Committee, Monroe will contribute 20 percent of the total acquisition cost for the 37-acre parcel, about $198,000. The state will provide about $596,000 toward the purchase of the easement that will preclude development from occurring on the property, according to the statement.
Monroe officials are waiting for further action and approval from Middlesex County, which is expected to match the municipal funding.
“Middlesex County is committed to preserving as much farmland and open space as possible,” Freeholder Director Ronald G. Rios said in the statement. “My fellow freeholders and I thank the township of Monroe and the families we have worked with over the years for sharing our dedication to saving not only our lands, but also our agricultural heritage.”
Township officials said they anticipate the property will officially enter into the county’s farmland preservation program by the summer, a designation that will prohibit any further development on the site.
“Support for land preservation only continues to grow in our state from both sides of the aisle and from residents across New Jersey, including here in Monroe,” council President Stephen Dalina said. “Our township takes great pride in our rural landscape, one of the primary reasons it is such a popular destination for transplants and visitors. Our preservation programs are a means to safeguard those vistas, not to mention the natural resources and habitats they provide.”
In continuing efforts to preserve open space in Monroe, the council has moved on an ordinance to create a task force that will focus on the future of the New Jersey Training School to ensure the 663-acre site is preserved as open space and farmland. State officials have announced plans to close the facility.
And in November, the council moved to preserve 17 acres on Spotswood-Gravel Hill Road. At that location, 4 acres of the site allows for farming and horses.