The Burlington County Commissioners took steps to protect close to 1,200 acres of the county’s remaining farmland from future development.
The Commissioners voted Wednesday to give preliminary approval for nine farms to enter the Burlington County Farmland Preservation Program. The County will now obtain appraisals to purchase the development rights for the farms and have them deed restricted to remain in agriculture. The farmers will continue to retain ownership of the land.
If agreements are finalized with all nine farms, 1,196 acres of farmland would be preserved across Chesterfield, North Hanover, Mansfield, Pemberton, Tabernacle and Southampton.
“Burlington County already ranks No. 1 in New Jersey and No. 7 nationally with more than 63,000 acres of preserved farmland but our County continues to aggressively target our county’s remaining open space,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson. “Preserving farms helps keep agriculture a strong and viable industry in our county. It also keeps land in agriculture and guards against overdevelopment that threatens our local landscapes and quality of life, so we’re excited to move forward with protecting these nine farms.”
The farms that received preliminary approval are:
- Lustgarten farm in North Hanover, 162 acres
- Doyle Farm in Southampton, 143 acres
- Bright View Farm in Chesterfield in Mansfield, 254 acres
- Ruth Glunt and Mary Powell Farm in Tabernacle, 87 acres
- Reid Sod Farm in North Hanover, 268 acres
- Edward Allen Farm in Pemberton Township, 51 acres
- Cheung Farm in Southampton, 55 acres
- Kenron Farm in Southampton, 155 acres
- Thomas Allen Farm in Southampton, 21 acres
All nine farms qualify for state funding that will cover as much as 60% of the preservation costs. Six of the properties are also eligible for federal funding from the U.S. Department of Defense because they are within a 5-mile buffer zone around Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
The buffer zone is important because it helps minimize security issues immediately outside the base and also limits development and land use conflicts near it.
Since 2008, the County has preserved more than 2,300 acres in the buffer zone.
The nine farms receiving preliminary approval for preservation is the most since 2016 when ten farms qualified for preservation after responding to letters of interest from the County.
“Burlington County residents overwhelmingly support keeping farming strong and vibrant, and it’s encouraging to see that interest in our preservation program is increasing among our local farmers,” said Burlington County Commissioner Allison Eckel, liaison to the Department of Resource Conservation and Parks. “Local municipalities may control land use and zoning, but our County is 100% committed to preserving as much of the remaining eligible farmland as possible. Doing so will ensure the land will remain in agriculture and protected from overdevelopment that can impact both our environment and the quality of life our residents cherish. The preservation program is a win for farmers and for our county residents and taxpayers.”