Under an agreement with Cranbury Township officials and Fair Share Housing, the Henry Family Farm in Cranbury will be preserved while the township explores alternative sites to fulfill its affordable housing mandate. More good news is that the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, specifically the State Agriculture Development Committee, is working with the Henry Family to permanently preserve the family farm. The Henry Family Farm has been in a legal battle with Cranbury, New Jersey, which, in May, unanimously passed an ordinance allowing the township to use Eminent Domain to seize the local 21-acre farm to build 130 affordable housing units. The property is owned by Henry Realty Company, run by brothers Andy and Chris, and has been in the Henry family since the 1850s.
Taylor McFarland, NJ Sierra Club Conservation Program Manager, released the following statement:
“In a win for farmland protection and preservation, Henry Family Farm has avoided eminent domain for affordable housing. We thank Governor Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture for stepping up to protect prime farmland. However, the Henry Family should never have been in this situation. For decades, the family has rejected various offers from housing developers and warehouse developers because they care about preserving farmland in New Jersey. Cranbury Township should never have resorted to using eminent domain to build affordable housing when safer alternatives were available.
“New Jersey is one of the most densely populated and overdeveloped states in the country, and may be the first in the nation to reach full buildout. The Cranbury Farm case should serve as an example of what not to do when fulfilling affordable housing mandates. It should be a lesson to both local and state governments that improvements are needed to meet affordable housing requirements without sacrificing green spaces and farmland. Towns need more resources and guidance on implementing smart growth in their communities. This means financial incentives and grants for things like brownfield and redevelopment projects, and safe pedestrian infrastructure that reduces sprawl, conserves local habitat, and improves the health of their communities.”