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On July 29th settlement took place on the David and Lynn McAlister farm in Franklin Township, ensuring that the property is forever preserved as farmland. This is the second farm that has been preserved since the South Jersey Land and Water Trust (SJLWT) assumed the management responsibilities for Franklin Township’s Municipal Farmland Preservation Program in 2020. The County of Gloucester holds the easement on the property, and is responsible for future monitoring to ensure it continues to operate within the parameters of the Farmland Preservation Program. The preserved property is approximately 54-acres in size, and is contiguous and/or in close proximity to more than 430-acres of previously preserved farmland.
A number of other parties assisted the SJLWT in the preservation of this farm, including the State Agriculture Development Committee, the Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the Franklin Township Committee, who all provided funding for the acquisition of the property’s development rights. The Gloucester County Office Land Preservation also provided a great deal of technical support throughout the preservation process, as did the Franklin Township Agricultural Advisory Committee. This was an extremely challenging project, and all the preservation partners, including the landowners, deserve recognition for their perseverance and determination to reach this successful outcome.
Two bordering properties to the McAlister farm, totaling 91-acres, have also expressed interest in the Farmland Preservation Program, and the process to initiate their applications will begin in the very near future. The SJLWT is also currently working on the active applications for 6 other farms in Franklin Township, with the potential to add an additional 400+/- acres to the Township’s preserved farmland inventory.
If you are interested in learning more about preserving your property please contact our Land Program Manger, Ken Atkinson, at katkinson@sjlandwater.org
