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Manalapan planning board re-adopts Farmland Preservation Element after state-mandated revisions
Summary
The Manalapan Planning Board unanimously re-adopted the township's Farmland Preservation Element with updates required by the State, including changes to eligibility language and references to county and statewide agricultural programs; the planner will submit the updated 2025 document to the State.
The Manalapan Planning Board voted unanimously Aug. 28 to re-adopt the township's Farmland Preservation Element of the Master Plan after revisions requested by the State.
Jennifer Beahm, the board's professional planner, told the board the township originally adopted the element in 2022 and the State required several changes in 2024 that have now been incorporated into an updated document. Beahm said the State's review led to the removal of some farms from the preservation list where properties were no longer actively farmed or were redeveloped, and that the State asked for clearer language on whether preserved farms fall within the County's designated target farm areas and on the eligibility criteria for preservation.
Beahm described specific wording revisions the State requested, including replacing the term "Farm property" with "Farm-Assessed property" and correcting "Freehold Soil Conservation" to "Freehold Soil Conservation District." She also said the State asked that the plan explicitly reference county and statewide programs and resources such as NJ Land Link, Monmouth's Field to Farm initiative and Jersey Fresh to improve public awareness and participation.
Board members pressed Beahm on whether the township could contest the State's decision to remove properties from the preservation list. Beahm replied that the State will not provide funding for properties it removes from the list, so the board effectively has little control over those removals; the township could purchase properties on its own but she cautioned that doing so without State assistance would not be cost effective.
Chairwoman Kathryn Kwaak opened the public comment period on the agenda item; no members of the public spoke. Mr. Barry Fisher moved to re-adopt the element with the date updated to 2025; Mr. Steve Kastell seconded. The motion passed with affirmative votes from Fisher, Todd Brown, John Castronovo, Barry Jacobson, Kathryn Kwaak, Jack McNaboe, Chief Hogan, Steve Kastell and Mayor Eric Nelson. Pollifrone and Givelekian were recorded as not eligible to vote on the motion.
Beahm said she will update the plan to show the 2025 date and coordinate with township administration to submit the revised document to the State for final processing. The board scheduled its next meeting for Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m., noting the meeting may begin later because of a 9/11 ceremony at Town Hall earlier in the evening.
