Lengthy Open Space Project Nears 'Finish Line' In Moorestown

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown's nearly 10-year effort to place a parcel of township land into New Jersey's open space program should be completed by the end of June, Moorestown Township Manager Kevin Aberant said in an interview with Patch.

New Jersey's open space program allows for the "protection of water resources, preservation of biodiversity and wildlife habitats, creation of greenways, enhancement of urban centers, and support of recreational opportunities," according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection website.

The parcel of Moorestown land that is the focus of the almost decade-long effort is part of the property at 621 Garwood Road also known as part of Flying Feather Farm, Aberant said. According to njparcels.com and several other websites, the land is owned by a member of the Vesaki family.

The effort to place the land in the open space program started when Moorestown agreed to buy it, according to Aberant. The seller of the land had to file an application with the municipality to subdivide the land, according to Aberant.

"Sometimes we think [the process] is going to come a little faster, and [sometimes] it seems to take a long time," Moorestown Deputy Mayor Sue Mammarella said at a Moorestown Township Council meeting April 25. "But it looks like we're an inch away from really having that [land]. So that's very exciting that we are acquiring more open land for Moorestown Township."

Progress on the designation process accelerated in April, according to Aberant.

"There was a planning board decision in April that allowed a resolution [approving the application] to be memorialized," he said. "This resolution was adopted at the May meeting."

The planning board's approval will be final if a 45-day appeal period passes without any objections, Aberant said. Assuming no appeals are filed, the final step — the township closing on the land — will occur "about the end of June," he said.

Members of the Moorestown Township Council were pleased that the designation process was nearing a conclusion.

"It's been a long time coming," Mayor Nicole Gillespie said at the April 25 council meeting."This is thrilling to finally get this close to the finish line."

Council Member David Zipin shared the mayor's jubilation.

"It's exciting," he said at the April 25 meeting. "I am hoping it will be preserved for a long time to come."

Currently, about 275 acres of Moorestown Township land is designated as open space, he added.

Got a news tip? Story idea? Send me an email with the details at janel.miller@patch.com.