Monmouth County’s governing body is planning to purchase land in Howell and add the parcel to the Metedeconk River Greenway.
The 498-acre Metedeconk River Greenway protects water quality and wildlife habitat along the Metedeconk River, a natural border between Monmouth and Ocean counties. The greenway helps protect and buffer floodplains from adjacent land use and development.
The Monmouth County Park System is preserving land along the Metedeconk stream corridor in conjunction with similar efforts in the Ocean County portion of the watershed, according to information posted on the park system’s website.
Much of the land that is being acquired for the greenway is in Howell.
During a meeting on Jan. 21, the members of the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the acquisition of more land in Howell for addition to the Metedeconk River Greenway.
Commissioner Director Tom Arnone, Deputy Director Susan Kiley, Commissioner Lillian Burry, Commissioner Nick DiRocco and Commissioner Ross Licitra voted to purchase the land at 313 Friendship Road, Howell, from the United Talmudical Academy Torah Veyirah.
The Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners deemed it “necessary and advisable to acquire and preserve certain lands and property for county open space preservation, natural resources conservation, and public park and recreation purposes” in Howell, according to the resolution.
The vacant parcel the county seeks to purchase contains 6.72 acres. A formal offer of purchase contingent upon a satisfactory title and environmental review of the property in the amount of $400,000 has been accepted by the property owner, according to the resolution.
The funds for the purchase of the property are covered under the Monmouth County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.
The Board of Recreation Commissioners recommended that the commissioners purchase the property and the governing body accepted the recommendation.