The New Jersey American Society of Landscape Architects has recognized the significant effort that went into guiding the vision for the Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway.
The society presented the byway’s Vision and Scenic Byways Committee, made up of members from Allentown and Upper Freehold, with a Landscape Planning and Analysis Award for developing a corridor management plan for the byway, according to Carol Truppi, of the New Jersey American Society of Landscape Architects.
“Receiving an award is beneficial to professionals and others who are being recognized for work done,” Truppi said.
The Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway is a 31.5-mile scenic route that begins inAllentown, loops around Upper Freehold and returns to Allentown. Designated the sixth scenic byway in New Jersey in 2006, the route showcases the unique agricultural landscapes, history and cultural traditions of the southwestern panhandle of Monmouth County.
There are currently six scenic byways in New Jersey. Each requires a corridor management plan to guide its future, according to Vision and Scenic Byways Committee Chairman Mark Covitz.
“The corridor management plan is a written document that guides a vision for the byway corridor, including goals, strategies and implementation actions toward conserving and enhancing the byway’s most valuable qualities,” Covitz said.
The plan for a byway started when a concerned group of Upper Freehold and Allentown residents wanted to see the rural and colonial history of their towns preserved. They formed the Vision and Scenic Byways Committee in 2003.
“The committee was supported by then- Upper Freehold Mayor John Mele,” Covitz said. “Then-Upper Freehold Township Committeeman Dr. David Meirs was the chair and Sue Kozel was the vice chair. We worked very closely with Joseph Barris, of the Monmouth County Planning Department, and then later, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT).”
Once the committee developed a byway route and received approvals from the municipalities, county and state, it applied for a DOT grant to develop the corridor management plan. The committee received a $115,000 grant and hired the Parsons Brinckerhoff firm in Princeton to develop the corridor management plan, which was completed June 2010.
“This was actually more of an award for the planners, Parsons Brinckerhoff,” Covitz said of the recognition from the society.
He also noted that the Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway won a Monmouth County Planning Award in 2010.
“The members of the Vision and Scenic Byway Committee feel honored that the byway and corridor management plan have won awards recognizing the efforts of the participants,” Covitz said.
He continued, “We feel even more excited that our byway is now recognized by the state and can now be showcased. There are many things the byway can do for Upper Freehold and Allentown. It can not only serve to help protect the rural landscapes that we have, but it can also be used as a way to develop ecotourism and link greenways and open spaces in the Monmouth County panhandle, which will help to promote bicycling, hiking and other types of passive and active recreation.”
The byway exemplifies both New Jersey’s past and vision for future preservation, Covitz said.
“Upper Freehold has remained an agricultural region into the 21st century and continues to be actively farmed,” Covitz said. In Upper Freehold, 8,250 acres were preserved through township, county and state farmland preservation programs. The byway also features the Allentown Historic District, one of the largest contiguous historic districts in New Jersey; numerous sites on the National Register of Historic Places; and historic streetscapes, crossroads, farmsteads and agricultural districts.
“The result is a remarkably well-preserved scenic landscape that continues to convey a sense of the region’s historic and agricultural past,” Covitz said.
The committee continues to work on the next steps for the development of the byway, including marking the route with signage, possibly developing a tour guide with information on the historic sites and vistas along the byway and making sure the governing bodies, Planning Board members and other officials in Upper Freehold and Allentown adhere to the recommendations made in the corridor management plan to protect the integrity of the scenic byway, Covitz said.
“If development is to occur along the byway, proper landscaping and buffering must be applied and the appropriate signage and architecture must be used that will allow development to fit in with the rural nature of the byway,” Covitz said.
Those who currently serve on the committee will continue to educate municipal leaders, advocate for the protection of the byway and uphold the corridor management plan, Covitz said.
For more information on the Upper Freehold Historic Farmland Byway, visit www.upperfreeholdbyway.org.
The New Jersey American Society of Landscape Architects is a professional chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, which provides services and support to members, such as licenses and education.