New Jersey - SUSSEX COUNTY
Countywide program - Formed in 1985 - researched by Andy Andrews
OVERVIEW - Located in the northwestern corner of New Jersey, bordering New York and Pennsylvania, Sussex County is primarily a bedroom community for commuters to jobs elsewhere. Interstate 80 forms part of the county's southern border and New York City is about 50 miles to the east. Relatively low easement values as compared to more urbanized counties allow the Sussex agricultural easement program to stretch acquisition dollars. State funds are matched by a county dedicated property tax and property tax support from several municipalities, all approved by voters. Most agricultural easement acres are concentrated in one township.
EASEMENT ACTIVITY - 6,094 agricultural acres in 38
parcels. The top commodities produced by farms under easement are nursery and
greenhouse crops, dairy products and cattle. Increasingly, specialized crops
for niche markets are being produced. Approximately 30 percent of agricultural
easement acres are in woodland.
Goals: No specific program goals at this time, but under development.
Other Easement Programs: The state holds three easements with 906 acres.
With the help of state funds, The Nature Conservancy purchased easements on
two agricultural parcels totaling 336 acres.
Total Agricultural Easements in County: Approximately 7,200 acres.
FUNDING
Acquisition Spending to Date: $15 million on county-held agricultural
easements, averaging less than $2,500 per acre.
Revenues: 74 percent from state; 26 percent local-including a county
dedicated property tax (2 cents per $100 per assessed value) approved by voters,
and property tax contributions from nine of the county's 24 municipalities,
also approved by voters. Townships voluntarily contribute funds to county easement
acquisitions and some fund their own purchases.
GOVERNANCE - The program is overseen by the Sussex County Agriculture Development Board (CADB) appointed for indefinite terms by the Board of Freeholders. The program's staff is housed in the county's Division of Planning.
STAFF AND OPERATING BUDGET - One full-time staff person. Operating budget not available.
ORIGINS - The Sussex CADB was formed in 1985, as a direct result of the legislation two years earlier that established the state program and funding. Because local leaders wanted to see how easement programs would work elsewhere as a guide to local arrangements, the first easement in Sussex was not acquired until 1989.
ACQUISITION PROCESS AND STRATEGY - Landowners enrolled
in state-required Agricultural Development Areas are sent easement application
forms every year. In promoting its program, the Sussex CADB conducts an informational
meeting for landowners every February. Formal applications are reviewed by the
CADB both quantitatively and qualitatively to produce the list submitted for
state review and funding decisions. Site inspections, conducted early in the
process, produce qualitative factors. The quantitative scoring used by the county
is separate from the state's system.
Rating of Parcels: Quantitative. The county gives the highest priority
to agricultural quality and contiguity.
Other Criteria: Minimum requirements include enrollment in an Agricultural
Development Area and parcel size of 40 acres or more. Other factors incorporated
into the review process, based in part on site visits, include economic viability,
special markets for a farm's commodities and innovative qualities.
CONNECTIONS TO LOCAL PLANNING AND LAND USE POLICIES
- Planning and zoning are township functions in New Jersey. Nine townships have
open space and agricultural preservation plans. Residential development in rural
areas generally is restricted by the lack of public water and sewer systems.
Zoning: Residential densities for agricultural areas among townships
in Sussex County are generally one unit to five acres (1:5) to 1:7, with 1:1
densities close to interstate highway corridors. Extensive downzoning has occurred
in recent years.
DEMOGRAPHICS
2000 Population: 144,166
1990-2000 Population Change: +13,223; +10 percent
AGRICULTURAL LAND
73,001 acres: 56 percent cropland
Conversion to Urban Use: Comparative conversion data not available.
OTHER AGRICULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
1997 Market Value: $19 million Number of Farms: 827
Principal Commodities: Nursery and greenhouse crops, dairy products,
vegetables, sweet corn and melons
MAP NARRATIVE - EASEMENT GEOGRAPHY
(PROGRAM MAP)
Easements are concentrated in Wantage Township in the North Central
portion of the county, an area with some of the largest blocks of farmland in
the county that are not interrupted by public lands or urban uses. Many easements
are contiguous or located within several miles of one another. Little of Sussex
County's farmland has prime agricultural soils. About one-third of the county's
area is publicly owned, including state parks, wildlife management areas, a
national wildlife refuge and the Delaware Water Gap National Resource Area.