CRANBURY – The Henry Farm, once earmarked for affordable housing under the township's Affordable Housing Program, will remain a farm, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Oct. 23.
"Andy and Chris Henry are extremely relieved that there is a light at the end of the tunnel which will enable the farm to be saved," said Timothy Duggan, attorney for Henry Realty which owns the 21-acre farm on South River Road. "Many public officials worked hard to help save the farm and we have a pathway to reach a final agreement that will preserve the farm while allowing Cranbury to meet its affordable housing obligations."
In a statement on the township's website, Mayor Lisa Knierim explained that saving the farm was a result of the state New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) agreeing to relax a rule that requires affordable housing financed by the agency not to be built within 250 feet of a warehouse.
That, the mayor wrote, "creates a meaningful opportunity for Cranbury to evaluate alternative sites to the Henry Farm, while continuing to meet our state-mandated affordable housing obligations with transparency and fiscal responsibility."
The mayor also thanked those who contacted and lobbied officials in the case that drew national attention.
"This outcome is the direct result of sustained advocacy," the mayor wrote.
The township's proposed affordable housing plan calls for 265 affordable housing units in the next decade to meet its affordable housing mandate.
As part of that plan, the township wanted to zone 11.58 acres of the 21-acre Henry farm for 130 apartments, all affordable units.
"I am proud that — with the help of our Administration — the Henry family, Cranbury Township, and Fair Share Housing have reached an agreement that will ensure the farm remains under the family’s ownership, while local leaders look elsewhere to meet the town’s affordable housing obligations," Murphy said in a statement.
The governor said that "from the very beginning, I have opposed efforts to seize the Henry Family Farm through eminent domain."
“New Jersey will always protect its farmers and farmland. And we will always live up to our reputation as the Garden State," Murphy said, adding that the township will have to look elsewhere to fulfill the municipality's affordable housing obligation.
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In September, Knierim sent a letter to township residents, saying the Township Committee is "re-examining alternative sites that could potentially allow us to remove 1234 S. River Road (the Henry Farm) from our plan."
Murphy thanked thank Andy and Christopher Henry, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Jacquelyn Sua?rez, New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Executive Director Melanie Walter, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner, Fair Share Housing, and Cranbury Township for "working in good faith to reach this resolution."
The Fair Share Housing Center, which brought the statewide affordable housing litigation, also welcomed the agreement.
“Fair Share Housing Center thanks the Township of Cranbury and the Henry family for working toward an agreement that would eliminate the use of the Henry Farm site in its affordable housing plan and any use of eminent domain on the site,” Fair Share Housing Executive Director Adam Gordon said in a statement. "The agreement will resolve challenges filed by Fair Share Housing Center and the Henry family opposing the use of eminent domain for affordable housing on the farm site.
“We particularly appreciate the willingness of Mayor Knierim, Deputy Mayor [Eman] El-Badawi, and all of Cranbury's elected officials and professionals to work collaboratively to find a better path forward that protects farmland and upholds the Mount Laurel Doctrine’s promise of fair, inclusive communities for all New Jerseyans," Gordon continued. "We also appreciate the collaboration of the Henry family in supporting a path forward to keep their family farm in operation and finding alternatives to create affordable housing."
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