VII

farmland preservation plan

Farmland preservation is essential to achieving the overriding goal of the Cranbury Township Master Plan, which is the preservation of the Township’s rural character. Cranbury Township is characterized by rich agricultural land, with a long history of farmland operations. The Township has been actively involved in preserving its agricultural heritage by various mechanisms including purchase of development rights through the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program, encouraging lot averaged development patterns and outright acquisition of key properties, such as the West property.

In June 1999, the New Jersey Legislature passed the “Garden State Preservation Trust Act” which establishes the framework for the annual distribution of a $98 million trust fund for open space, farmland and historic resources. One of the new programs established in the Garden State Preservation Trust Act is the Planning Incentive Grant Program, which allows municipalities and counties to receive State grants to preserve a significant area of reasonably contiguous farmland. Municipalities that wish to participate in the Planning Incentive Grant Program must coordinate with the County Agriculture Development Board and prepare and adopt a Farmland Preservation Plan. This document has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Middlesex County Farmland Preservation Program and constitutes Cranbury Township’s Farmland Preservation Plan. This Plan will be adopted as part of the Cranbury Township Master Plan.

summary of objectives and recommendations

The objectives of the Farmland Preservation Plan are as follows:

1) To maintain Cranbury Township’s agricultural heritage through the preservation of large, contiguous areas of farmland.

2) To preserve the natural amenities that establish the Township's rural character, including scenic vistas, historic structures and farmland.

3) To protect and preserve environmentally sensitive areas.

4) To retain open space areas having important historical, cultural or locational significance.

Inventory of Farm Properties

In 1992, over 5,720 acres of land was actively farmed in Cranbury Township, constituting over 66 percent of the Township’s total land area. By 1999, total farmland acreage in Cranbury had declined to 5,184 acres, or only 60 percent of the Township’s land area. The reduction in active farmland occurred because over 430 acres of land located on the east side of Route 130 have been developed for commercial and industrial uses and the remainder have been lost to residential development (Cranbury Greene) on the west side of Route 130.

Agricultural uses are particularly encouraged in the area west of Cranbury Village, where the Township, County and State have invested significant resources to preserve farmland. This area is referred to as the Farmland Preservation Area for purposes of the Farmland Preservation Plan and shown on Map 1. Table 1 provides a summary of the Township’s agricultural properties (over 6 acres in size) in the area west of Cranbury Village. Overall, approximately 91 percent, or 3,110 acres of the total land in the Farmland Preservation Area is in agricultural use. The remaining properties are either vacant or contain residential uses. At present, over 2,004 acres of farmland have been permanently preserved in this area, constituting over 54 percent of the total land area.

The majority of the land that has been preserved in the Farmland Preservation Area is located in the Farmland Preservation (A-100) zone, where over 68 percent of the active farmland in the zone is now permanently preserved. Approximately one-quarter of the farmland in the Residential – Light Impact (R-LI) zone is preserved. With the acquisition of the Wright properties, all of the active farmland in the Residential – Low Density 3 (RLD-3) zone is preserved.

The RLD-3 zone is the area adjacent to the northwestern corner of Cranbury Village and contains one of the farms most critical to preserving the rural features that characterize Cranbury Township; the 44-acre Wright South property, which consists of Lots 13 and 14.03 in Block 23. (Both properties are considered one tract for planning purposes since they are under the same ownership and are adjacent to each other). The Township has recently moved to acquire the 44 acres. Approximately 5 acres will be reserved for future municipal use and is not included in the Farmland Preservation Program.

		Table 1: SUMMARY OF FARMLAND INVENTORY - AREA WEST OF CRANBURY VILLAGE Cranbury Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Zone	Acres in Agricultural Use		Acres Preserved	Percent Preserved
A-100	2,806		1,888	68.0 %
RLD-3	44		39	100.0 %
R-LI	264		77	26.2 %

TOTAL	3,114		2,004	64.5 %

A complete inventory of the agricultural properties that constitute the Cranbury Township Farmland Preservation Area is provided in Table 2 and illustrated on Map 1. As noted earlier, 2,004 acres in 26 lots are now permanently preserved for agriculture. These properties include three farms located at the northwest corner of Cranbury Village that have signed contracts for purchase. These new acquisitions include the Barclay South property (Block 23, Lot 12), Wright North property (Block 25, Lot 31) and the Barclay North property (Block 25, Lot 19). (Approximately 1.5 acres of the Barclay North property, fronting on Main Street and consisting of a dwelling, detached garage and barn, will be subdivided from the Farmland Preservation Land. See Appendix B.) The Township has also acquired the Wright South property, totaling over 43.88 acres. This property consists of Lots 13 and 14.03 in Block 23. As noted earlier, about 5 acres of this tract will be reserved for future municipal use and is not included in the Farmland Preservation Program.

These recent acquisitions are important properties because they help preserve the “hard edge” between the built environment in the Village and the surrounding land. This area is also a key gateway entrance into the Village and preserving the agricultural nature of this area is an important goal in Cranbury Township’s Master Plan.

The remaining farmland properties included in Table 2 are important to preserving the long-term viability of agriculture in Cranbury Township. Over 1,105 acres of land are identified in this category.

Table 2: INVENTORY OF FARM PROPERTIES

Township of Cranbury, Middlesex County, New Jersey

	Block	Lot	Acreage	Zone
Permanently Preserved Farms
	21	6	210	A-100
	21	8.19	28.7	A-100
	22	1	18.99	A-100
	22	2	79.18	A-100
	22	3	119.8	A-100
	22	4	56.2	A-100
	22	6	133.38	A-100
	22	8.01	70.87	A-100
	22	14	68.4	A-100
	23	1	53.59	A-100
	23	3	182.61	A-100
	23	11	185.91	A-100
	23	12	130.00	A-100
	23	13	19.55	RLD-3
	23	14.03	19.33	RLD-3
	23	99	78.5	A-100
	23	100	43	A-100
	23	103	19.52	A-100
	24	1	133	A-100
	24	2.011	19.7	A-100
	24	9.01	8.6	A-100