Land slated for warehouse development in Upper Freehold Township to be purchased for preservation
The plans originally called for two warehouses with an estimated 800 trucks coming and going daily.
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A land preservation battle in Upper Freehold Township is over – for now.
Land slated for warehouse development will now likely be purchased by Monmouth County at a hefty price tag.
Al Pleva’s Allentown home would have sat just 250 feet away from one of two warehouses on a 116-acre lot known locally as the “Stein Property” next door.
“It would have destroyed the town,” said Pleva. “They’re having problems already with foundations crumbling from trucks.”
The plans originally called for two warehouses with an estimated 800 trucks coming and going daily.
“That would have been disturbing,” Pleva said.
But last week, Monmouth County Commissioners voted to purchase the land at a cost of $27,750,000.
In a statement to News 12, Commissioner Director Tom Arnone says protecting the lands ensures they will “remain a place for residents to enjoy nature, explore the outdoors, and experience the character of our community for generations to come, rather than being developed for industrial use.”
Upper Freehold Township leaders tell News 12 that while they’re not against preserving open space, they do have concerns about the number of properties coming off their tax base. In just the last eight years, they have now lost more than 20 properties to county purchases, reducing their tax intake by nearly $230,000.
Upper Freehold Township Mayor Stan Moslowski says the owner bought the land at $15 million two and a half years ago with full intentions of turning it into warehouses.
“We love farmland preservation because we still get taxes, but once the county buys it, we get no taxes from it. We don’t have a lot of commercial ratables in our town. We’re very limited because it’s a rural town,” said Mayor Moslowski.
The mayor says losing this to open land could cause significant tax hikes on the 7,000 Upper Freehold Township residents, but Allentown leaders say building warehouses there would lead to lower property values in their neighborhoods.
The resolution passed by Monmouth County Commissioners is just one step in the process of keeping the field open space forever.
