| The
historic Cottage Farm in Chesterfield Township, Burlington
County, returned to private ownership yesterday through
a public auction held by the State Agriculture Development
Committee (SADC). The new owner is David Atkinson
of Lawrence Township, Mercer County, who bid $584,500
for the 167-acre property. As part of the Farmland
Preservation Program, the farm can only be used for
agricultural purposes.
Secretary
of Agriculture Arthur R. Brown, Jr., noted that "Since
the development rights on the property had already
been purchased by the SADC, the auction provided
a rare opportunity to purchase a preserved farm,
with an outstanding historic home, for a very reasonable
price." The farm was acquired by the SADC in fee
simple in early October as part of its continuing
farmland preservation efforts around the state. Proceeds
from the sale will be returned to the Farmland Preservation
Program and used to preserve other New Jersey farms.
The
farm is bordered by a private country club, Black's
Creek, dense forest and other permanently preserved
farms and includes a historic farmhouse and several
outbuildings. The farm complex is eligible for listing
on the National Register for Historic Places.
Statewide,
331 farms totaling 50,425 acres have been permanently
protected under the Farmland Preservation Program
with more than 62,509 acres pending. This transaction
represents the 12th farm preserved using the fee
simple method, bringing the total acreage of farms
preserved using this unique method to over 3,130
acres. |
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