Marlboro Township Completes Purchase of Stattel Farm

MARLBORO TOWNSHIP, NJ - Marlboro Township announced Tuesday it has completed the purchase of Stattel Farm, at Rts. 520 and 79 in Marlboro. The acquisition will preserve 56 acres of land as farmland and open space forever.

“This is an historic moment for Marlboro. Since 2008, this administration has been engaged in attempting to preserve this property in the center of town, between the municipal complex, the recreation center and the Marlboro High School — the very heart of our community,” said Mayor Jon Hornik. “Preserving open space and protecting it forever from development is critical to the quality of life for Marlboro residents.”

Under the terms, the Township acquired two parcels, a 47 1⁄2 acre site are on the west side of Route 520 (“the farm stand”) and 8.5 acres on the east side of Route 520. In addition, under the agreement, a third 30-acre parcel located on the north bound side of Route 79 adjacent to the A&P shopping center will be protected from further litigation.

The Stattel Farm has long been a “target” farm designated by Monmouth County and the Township for preservation, and has been included in the Township’s Open Space and Recreation Plan since 2001. The Township has actively been working to preserve the property for more than nine years.

The process hasn't always been easy: “Under prior administrations, Stattel Farm was zoned for residential housing," Hornik said. "When we began negotiations, an affordable housing lawsuit was pending, and, if it was successful, could have resulted in high-density housing at this already trafficked intersection. As recently as 2014 the developer made an application for over 500 units to be built on this site. The prospect of hundreds of units of high-density housing at this intersection was unacceptable."

At a meeting held on October 6, 2016, the Township Council authorized Mayor Hornik to negotiate with representatives of the Stattel family for purchase of the 56 acres to be used for farmland, open space and recreation purposes. The ordinance authorizing the acquisition of the parcels was adopted after a public hearing at the governing body’s meeting held on October 20, 2016.

The acquisition of these parcels does not impact the budget or local taxes. The Township applied land preservation funding already authorized and in place, including the Township’s dedicated Open Space Trust Fund, NJ Green Acres Matching Grant and state Agricultural Development Committee funding in order to complete the acquisition.

Volunteers, led by Captain Shital Rajan, were aggressive in working to preserve Sattel Farm as open space.

In the past few years, Marlboro Township has logged several open space preservation successes with the Tennent Road (30 acres), Smith Farm (16 acres), Penksa Farm (21 acres) and Baydock Holdings (50 acres) projects.

"Having grown up in this town, I take great pride in keeping these parcels green and undeveloped for the benefit of generations to come," said Council Vice President Randi Marder.

Municipal Officials have stated that there is no plan for the use of the Stattel properties at this time.