New Jersey - MORRIS COUNTY
Countywide program - Formed in 1983 - (Washington Township information illustrates
local planning patterns.) - researched by Al Sokolow
OVERVIEW - About an hour commute from Manhattan at
its closest boundary, this northern New Jersey county is under heavy development
pressure from the New York region. Several interstate highways traverse the
county. Rural parcels in Morris County are prized for large homes on large lots.
Most agricultural easement acres acquired so far are located in the southwestern
section of the county, the furthest away from New York City. Among New Jersey
programs, Morris County relies least proportionately on state funds and is most
dependent on local property taxes. This high use of local taxes is driven by
the elevated costs of easements in a super-heated land market. The average per
acre cost of almost $12,000 for agricultural easements is the highest in New
Jersey. Most county-acquired easements are located in one township, Washington.
EASEMENT ACTIVITY - 4,137 agricultural acres in 61 properties. All cropland-vegetables,
orchards, horse farms and nurseries. Parcels under easement are relatively small,
averaging 67 acres. Washington Township contains 3,328 easement acres in 45
farms.
Goals: Tentative plan to acquire 12,000 agricultural easement acres in
10 years.
Other Easement Programs: Two land trusts acquired some agricultural easements
now held by the county. One state-held easement. Other easement acres pending
under the state-supported Planning Incentive Grant program.
Total Agricultural Easements in County: Approximately 4,300 acres.
FUNDING
Acquisition Spending to Date: $49.8 million-an average of almost $12,000
per acre.
Revenues: 53 percent from state, most of the rest from county property
taxes. Since a nonbinding voter referendum in 1993, a dedicated property tax
has supported the acquisition of easements and fee purchase of open space lands.
Voters in 2001 approved an increase in the tax. Bonds backed by property taxes
funded the program in earlier years. Some municipalities cost-share with the
county, although this is not required by the county.
GOVERNANCE - The program is overseen by the Morris County Agricultural Development Board (CADB), a seven-member citizens' body appointed to four-year terms by the Board of Freeholders. Administratively, the program is housed in the county's Planning and Development Department.
STAFF AND OPERATING BUDGET - Two full-time staff, including the program director. Annual operating budget of about $100,000.
ORIGINS - The program was created as a direct result of state legislation in 1983 that established the New Jersey agricultural easement program and a funding mechanism. The first easements were acquired in 1997.
ACQUISITION PROCESS AND STRATEGY - The CADB reviews
easement applications and submits them to the state for further review and action.
Final determinations to release county funds for particular purchases are made
by the county's legislative body, the Board of Freeholders. The CADB has discretion
to add other considerations to the results of the quantitative scoring system.
While geographical targeting is not an explicit priority, most easements are
located in one township because of its concentration of affordable farmland.
Rating of Parcels: Quantitative. Using a scoring system common to most
New Jersey programs, Morris County gives the highest priority to agricultural
quality and contiguity, with lesser weights assigned to farm management, planning
compatibility and parcel size. This system replaced a more open-ended evaluation
process a few years ago.
Other Criteria: Minimum criteria include enrollment in an Agricultural
Development Area, 10 acre threshold and not more than 50 percent in woodland.
At the discretion of the CADB, bonus points or special consideration are given
to applications from "good farms."
CONNECTIONS TO LOCAL PLANNING AND LAND USE POLICIES
- Planning and zoning are township functions although the county runs the easement
program.
Washington Township: The Township emphasizes limited urban growth, retention
of farmland and other open space as rural amenities, and minimizing urban conflicts
with agriculture. Cluster development is required for residential development;
at least half of each developed parcel is set aside for farmland or other open
space.
Zoning: State legislation does not allow exclusive agricultural zoning.
The basic zoning density in Washington Township is one unit to five acres (1:5),
recently downzoned from 1:2 and 1:3 densities.
DEMOGRAPHICS
2000 Population: 470,212
1990-2000 Population Change: 48,851 residents; +11 percent
AGRICULTURAL LAND
22,351 acres: 60 percent cropland
Conversion to Urban Use: Comparative conversion data not available.
OTHER AGRICULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
1997 Market Value: $30 million Number of Farms: 383
Principal Commodities: Nursery and greenhouse crops, vegetables, sweet
corn, melons, hay, silage, field and grass seeds
MAP NARRATIVE - EASEMENT GEOGRAPHY
(PROGRAM MAP)
Most of Morris County's agricultural easement acres and protected farms
are located in one township-Washington in the southwestern part of the county,
which contains about one-third of the remaining farmland in the county. There
are several large blocks of easements in this area. Eastern and central sections
of the county are heavily urbanized.