The owners of the 270-acre Van Wagoner Farm in Burlington County have reached a land preservation deal that will prevent development on the land.
The Burlington County commissioners recently announced the deal after voting on resolutions authorizing a final contract agreement with the Van Wagoner family for the property in Springfield.
Once finalized, the agreement will bring Burlington County’s total preserved farmland to more than 67,000 acres.
The Van Wagoner Farm sits along Arney’s Mount-Birmingham Road in rural Springfield, adjacent to Arney’s Mount, Burlington County’s highest elevation point, and the county’s 200-acre Arney’s Mount Park.
“This farm was on the county’s list for preservation for decades,” Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel, the liaison to the Department of Resource Conservation, Parks and Farmland Preservation, said in a statement. “It’s a beautiful property and we’re thrilled to finally be able to take this action to keep the land as agriculture and open space forever.”
The late John Van Wagoner, a fourth-generation farmer, purchased the property in 1962 and initially operated a dairy farm before transitioning to grain and corn production.
The farm now grows pumpkins, hay, and grain, making it one of the 10 largest farms on the county’s preservation target list.
Elsie Nicolette, Van Wagoner’s daughter, said her father continued working the land into his 90s and would have supported the preservation effort.
“We know that, like us, he would have been very grateful to see the tradition of farming continued through the preservation of the land,” Nicolette said in a statement.
The property had previously been targeted for a large housing community.
The project stalled after Springfield Township won a legal battle over the developer’s attempt to force approval.
The township successfully argued that high-density housing would contradict Burlington County’s efforts to preserve contiguous farmland areas and that the location lacked adequate public transportation and infrastructure.
Under the preservation agreement, Burlington County will preserve 239 acres through its Farmland Preservation Program, allowing the Van Wagoner family to retain ownership while permanently restricting the land to agricultural use.
The county will purchase an additional 30 acres outright, which will be added to Arney’s Mount Park.
With the Van Wagoner Farm addition, Springfield will have more than 6,100 acres of preserved farmland, the most of any Burlington County municipality.
The county has also reached tentative agreements this year with six other farms totaling 741 acres.
Burlington County is eligible for 80% reimbursement of the farmland easement expense through New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation Program.
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