Town ready to move on purchases of land
Monroe will develop acquisition plan for top-priority properties
BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer

Monroe’s master plan will be amended to include 1,500 acres that could be sought for open space preservation.

The land that officials may look to acquire encompasses numerous properties from various parts of Monroe.

“We’re excited about it,” said Councilman John Riggs. “And we’re also not stopping there. We’ve got this process going and we’re also looking at other phases, too, that can supplement it.”

Planning Board member Joe Montanti, who is spearheading the project, began compiling the list of desired properties in December, and presented it to the Planning Board last month.

Now that the council has given its consent to the project, Montanti will meet with officials from the state Green Acres program and the Middlesex County Improvement Authority to develop a plan to begin acquiring the land.

The list of properties is currently divided into three categories of priority; although, Riggs said, a fourth category will be added.

Priority one properties total about 250 acres, and include land west and north of James Monroe Park; land adjacent to Thompson Park; the former Rose Garden subdivision; and the former Castle Gardens subdivision, among other areas. There are a total of 13 parcels in priority one.

Properties considered second priority total about 830 acres comprised mainly of the Millstone River Watershed Conservation Area that Montanti hopes to create.

Priority three properties total almost 500 acres and

include land adjacent to the

township-owned Bank of China property; land near Rossmoor; and near Gravel Hill-Spotswood Road; Prospect Plains Road; and Union Valley-Half Acre Road.

Riggs said priority four would include parcels owned by people who have contacted the township about being included in the project.

“We’ve had people call in after we divulged the 1,575-acre acquisition plan and said, ‘I’ve got this piece here, I’ve got that piece there, that would fit in nicely with what you’re heading,’ ” Riggs said.

The priorities designate the order in which the township will pursue the land.

“Priority one and priority two are where we’d spend our money first,” Riggs said. “And if we have enough money after those two priorities are acquired, then priority three becomes instant and we can shift into priority four quickly.”

Montanti said there are three sources of funding currently available to the municipality for open space acquisitions.

In November, residents approved an open space tax of 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, creating a township fund.

Montanti said the county has a similar open space fund, and the state Green Acres program will contribute funds as well.

“I did meet with the Middlesex County Improvement Authority (MCIA) several weeks back, and they were enthusiastic about the plan,” Montanti said. “They said, it’s very aggressive but they like that. The county apparently does have a fair amount of money to spend for open space.”

Monroe Mayor Richard Pucci is executive director of the MCIA.

Montanti said he is also looking into the possibility of obtaining donations from private environmental foundations for the proposed Millstone River Watershed Conservation Area.

Some land owners have shown interest in the project already, Montanti said, but the township has not begun negotiations with any property owners.

“That would be the next step, to look to find [land owners] that would be willing or at least open-minded to consider it, and from that point, we would have to have wetland delineations done and then we would send this out for appraisals,” Montanti said.

The main determinant of the value of the land will be how many single-family homes could otherwise be constructed on the property.

Montanti said the municipality plans to offer fair-market value for the parcels, and as of yet has no plans to pursue condemnation of any property, though it may be a possibility if a contract purchaser pursues development on a given property.

“In the future, if someone should go to develop those properties, it gives us a little more in the way of legal rights to do a condemnation at that point in time,” Montanti said.

Riggs said that if the township is successful in acquiring the land along Perrineville Road, it will create an uninterrupted green corridor stretching from Jamesburg to Route 33.

Earlier this week, Montanti took representatives from the League of Women Voters on a guided tour of the land already included in the township’s open space program and those properties the town is looking to acquire.

“You look at a map, and you don’t get quite as good a feel as if you actually go out and see the properties,” he said.

Montanti said the group was enthusiastic about the township’s preservation plans, and impressed by how much land the town has already acquired for Open Space.

“It was something that I felt gave them a good first-hand appreciation for what it is we’ve done and what it is we’re looking to do,” Montanti said.