Hillsborough committee approves sale of development easements to state to preserve hundreds of acres of farmland

Hillsborough’s Township Committee on March 24 unanimously adopted an ordinance authorizing the sale of development easements to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), a move township officials said will permanently preserve hundreds of acres and reduce the township’s outstanding debt.

The ordinance covers multiple parcels identified on the Hillsborough tax map; committee members and staff characterized the result as the culmination of a multi-year effort to protect farmland. Deputy Mayor Lipani, who laid out the history of the acquisition, said the town pursued state participation after waiting for county action and pushed the effort to completion with state partners. “This started as an opportunity back in 2023 … to acquire this land, to preserve it, and ultimately prevent excess building on this property,” Lipani said.

Why it matters: Committee members and residents framed the sale as both a conservation win and a financial transaction. A committee member stated, “we got $13,100,000 in development rights, which go to pay off the debt,” while the mayor provided a debt-service figure when asked: “Dollars 2,433,445.62,” the mayor said when a resident asked about cumulative debt service. Both figures were discussed at the microphone during the public hearing and reflect the numbers presented to the committee that evening.

Public questions and variance in figures: Several residents pressed the committee for more detail about how much of the town’s open-space funds, if any, were used and why the county did not act sooner, which town officials said contributed to interest carrying costs while the matter stalled. Resident David Brooks noted the SADC purchase as “the development rights for these 424 acres,” while township staff later described roughly “429 and change” acres as preserved; the committee committed to confirm and publish the exact acreage and accounting details with the CFO.

What the vote did: By adopting the ordinance, Hillsborough will enter the required agreement with SADC to sell development easements on the named town-owned parcels; staff said the township will retain ownership and the land will be farmed under lease where applicable. The committee’s vote followed public comment and a roll-call adoption.

Next steps and transparency: Multiple speakers asked the township to provide a consolidated accounting of amounts spent on debt service, legal costs and other expenditures related to the property since its 2021 purchase. Township staff told residents they will confirm the numbers and report back at a future meeting.

The ordinance was adopted by roll call at the March 24 meeting; the committee did not identify a plan to open any preserved farmland for unrestricted public access, and staff clarified that farmland preservation does not automatically create public-open-space access outside of any exception areas agreed with the state.