Offers out on parcels sought for acquisition
Monroe moves ahead on efforts to preserve more than 1,000 acres
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

MONROE - Officials are advancing toward their stated goal of acquiring more than 1,000 acres of open space in various parts of the township.

The land would be preserved through a combination of state, county and township funding. The township and county earlier this year authorized "due diligence" on 1,036 of the 1,822 acres that were identified in the Monroe Township Open Space Plan as desirable acquisitions. That process involves wetlands delineation, environmental analysis and appraisals.

At present, there are approximately 3,800 acres in Monroe that have been preserved as open space, according to John Riggs, township environmental protection and open space manager. Officials hope to bring that number to 6,000 over the next 24 months.

"This all goes toward the goal of keeping Monroe-50 percent green," the former councilman said. "We want to keep the rural-suburban complexion of the town, to preserve the vistas and views. We want to preserve the wetlands for aquifer recharge, and we want enough of the land to be contiguous to support wildlife."

The township this year has been actively working to acquire numerous properties, conducting appraisals and making offers on each, Riggs said.

One property, called Rose Garden from when it was approved for a development of the same name, consists of 100 acres. It is situated near Matchaponix, Spotswood-Englishtown and State Home roads. A 14-acre property known as Castle Gardens, also along State Home Road, is under common ownership with Rose Garden.

Wooded parcels of land along Perrineville Road near Thompson Park are also in the process of being acquired, Riggs said.

The owner of a large property within the Millstone River Watershed Conservation Area is cooperating with the township with regard to acquisition of that land, which is now being appraised and analyzed, Riggs said.

Monroe's water supply is drawn from aquifers, which are recharged by wetlands. The plan is to acquire enough land on each side of the river to protect it from pollution and development, Riggs said. A 300-foot corridor on either side of the river has been deemed necessary to achieve this.

A 30-acre, landlocked property near the New Jersey Training School for Boys is being donated by its owner, Riggs said.

"It will be important for us to add to our inventory, but it won't be public acquisition," he said.

A long-term goal in the open space acquisition master plan is to create a walking trail that will run from the Helmetta border to Route 33, and Riggs said about 60 percent of the needed land has already been acquired. Thompson Park comprises a large portion of it, and the Thompson Park extension, known as the Bank of China acquisition and consisting of almost 825 acres, will also be part of the trail.

Riggs said officials hope to get students from the Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy involved in the design of the trail. The collaboration will not be initiated however until the properties are all under contract, he said.

Officials have been reviewing the status of land acquisitions in monthly meetings with the Middlesex County Improvement Authority. Monroe Mayor Richard Pucci also serves as executive director of the authority.

Pucci discussed the open space acquisition issue in his July column on Monroe Township's Web site, saying the primary funding for these properties would come from the Middlesex County Open Space Fund, with additional money from the state Green Acres program. Monroe's financial commitment is estimated at 10 percent of the total cost.

"Although it would be inappropriate to discuss individual property values at this time," Pucci wrote, "it is estimated that the 1,036 acres ... have an aggregate value in the range of $20 to $30 million."

Over the next two months, more properties will be added to the open space plan, which Riggs said is adaptable and open to additions and deletions on the list of properties to be obtained.

"There are some properties that have been pulled from the list because the owners won't allow us access to them," Riggs said. "We can't do anything without going into eminent domain, which we're not going to do."