Henry Family farm in Cranbury saved from eminent domain
The town of Cranbury had planned to seize the property to meet an affordable housing mandate.
More Stories
In Cranbury Township, the Henry family farm will not be taken by the township through eminent domain.
A deal has been reached to make sure the property stays as a farm and in the hands of the family that has owned the land for 175 years.
That means the 20 cows, 17 sheep and one bull, which make the 120- acre farm their home, will be able to continue grazing.
The land was targeted by Cranbury officials to make way for mandated affordable housing.
But Gov. Phil Murphy made the surprising reveal Thursday morning that the township will look at other properties for their mandated affordable housing complex.
While stating he’s been against the use of eminent domain in this case all along, Murphy sent out a statement saying, “While every town in New Jersey must do its part to resolve our state’s affordable housing crisis, these efforts must be pursued thoughtfully and collaboratively.”
The deal is getting done because the Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency is going to relax its warehouse-buffer rule. That rule says you can’t build affordable housing withing 250 feet of a warehouse.
The mayor of Cranbury, Lisa Knierim said the following in a social media post:
“This adjustment creates a meaningful opportunity for Cranbury to evaluate alternative sites to the Henry Farm.”
The Henry’s have argued the farm wouldn’t be suitable for housing since it is so close to warehouses and buildings and miles from downtown Cranbury.
The farm has been in the Henry family since 1850.
The Henry’s have been offered millions of dollars in the past to sell to private developers but have always rejected those offers, wishing to remain a farm.
In her post about the farm, the mayor of Cranbury did not mention if other locations for the affordable housing complex are already being targeted.
