MIDDLETOWN — At the current pace of development in New Jersey, the Garden State is at risk of being built out within the next 30 years, making land preservation a critical issue for residents, according to a conservation official.
“It’s very important to increase the pace of preservation because New Jersey will be one of the first states to get completely built out,” William Kastning, executive director of the Middletown-based Monmouth Conservation Foundation, said in a Feb. 26 interview.
According to Kastning, “built out” means that every piece of usable land within the state will be either preserved or used in some form of development within the next 30 years.
“We must advocate for the preservation of the open space whether it be farmland, parks — and it’s not only about saving land — because it is not just quantity that counts, but quality, too,” he said.
According to Kastning, a 2007 study by the National Center for Neighborhood and Brownfields Redevelopment shows that “out of the state’s approximately 4.98 million acres total area, about 1.42 million acres (28 percent) are already developed, and 2.32 million acres (47 percent) are made up of water, wetlands, open space, parks, preserved farms and other constrained lands.”
The study by Henry J. Mayer of the Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy at Rutgers University also states that about 1.24 million acres of vacant land remain available for future residential and nonresidential development, he said.
Kastning said the pace at which the state would be built out depends on factors such as municipal zoning regulations, coastal regulations and even population density.
“Our duty is to save places people love,” Kastning said, adding that there are things that can be done to slow the process.
“We can be educating our municipalities more about what they can be doing.”
In a Feb. 23 “Science Monday” presentation to members of the Jersey Shore Sierra Group and the Environmental Club at Brookdale Community College, Kastning said the foundation has preserved 6,500 acres in Monmouth County and has worked with numerous partners to preserve another 22,500 acres in the 38 years since the organization was established.
One area the foundation is currently working to preserve is Freneau Woods, which runs through Aberdeen, Matawan and Marlboro, Kastning said.
“We are currently working to finish the steps necessary to ensure this beautiful space is preserved for countless generations to enjoy,” he said.
Kastning said Monmouth County has been assisting in the effort to secure a new regional park in the area now known as the Fariello farm and announced this week that it would provide $10.6 million in funding for the park.
“It was this tract of property that was just lying there, and creating this regional park will ultimately preserve around 200 to 300 acres in an area where there are currently no parks,” he said.
“It’s a great site and will be the perfect place for families to grow, learn and adventure together,” Kastning said. “It consists of second-growth forests, has a neat habitat, will be easy to get to by hiking or walking on the Henry Hudson Trail.”
The former Aeromarine site in Keyport is another area the foundation is working to preserve.
“It’s this beautiful area that sits right on the Raritan Bay,” Kastning said.
“It’s called Aeromarine because, in the ’20s or ’30s, seaplanes used to be built there.”
While the site has some environmental issues due to its history, Kastning said he hopes the site can be reclaimed for public use after some major cleanup.
“We wish to acquire this site and have it become either a municipal or county park,” he said.
“By acquiring this site, we would be preserving nearly 62 acres and a lot of history at the same time.”
Nearly 15 acres at Chris’ Landing in Middletown Township will also be preserved, Kastning said.
“Before going from Middletown into Red Bank, there was this little park called Chris’ Marina that was a privately owned marina for little boats,” he said.
“I started this project when I worked for [the state] Green Acres [program] 15 years ago, just trying to get it preserved. And now it is going to be a small county park.”
He said the site will undergo remediation to be turned into a passive recreational area for locals that will allow for fishing, crabbing and bird watching.
“It’ll still be a landing area for small boats and is connected to an already preserved 90 acres next to it,” Kastning said.
“It might have a lot of issues right now, but we are working hard to resolve those issues, and it’s going to be a nice site.”
Stella Maris — which is located in the Elberon section of Long Branch and owned by the Catholic Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace — is the last piece of waterfront property in Long Branch that has not been overdeveloped. The site is also on the foundation’s list, Kastning said.
“It’s a retreat [house], and they have decided to sell the property. … But they have stipulated that the property must be preserved. It can’t be sold to anybody who wants to develop it,” Kastning said.
The foundation is partnering with two nonprofits to acquire and maintain the nearly 7-acre property that runs alongside the Atlantic Ocean.