Montgomery Officials Unveil Initial Vision for 400-acre NJ State-owned Farmland in the Heart of Skillman

Open Space Committee expresses "shock" at quick progress, and "consternation" at possible inclusion of a rec center, public works HQ, and sewage treatment plant expansion

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted March 9, 2026

Montgomery Township folks have long sought to preserve 395 acres in the heart of Skillman, ever since the NJ State Department of Corrections (DOC) closed a prison labor program in 2009. Township Committee on March 5 reviewed progress on a plan to acquire the property from the state using Green Acres Funding.

Looking north on Burnt Hill Road, toward the Orchard Road intersection in Montgomery Township. Skillman Park and Princeton Show Jumping are on the left. To the right is the NJ Department of Corrections' former dairy farm, where a rec center and public works facility could go.

Photo by Barbara A. Preston

Montgomery Planner Lori Savron and her team have made considerable progress since first announcing in March 2025 that the township would begin an "acquisition process” for the former DOC dairy farm lands.

The most important thing is for the township to have control of this huge parcel of land. — Montgomery Planner Lori Savron

“Two important factors are open space and sidewalks. While close to 40% of Montgomery township has been preserved, we are not done yet,” she said. “I am pleased to report that, after many years of starts and stops of possible acquisition of certain state-owned lands, the township is now closer than ever to securing hundreds of acres of state property to ensure preservation — and to help with future municipal needs.” 

Skillman Farm entrance from Burnt Hill Road. The farm, run by the DOC, closed in 2009. Inmates who were about 6 months from parole, low-level offenders, worked there and supplied milk, cheese, and yogurt to prisons all over the state, said Lauren Wasilauski, Montgomery's Open Space and Stewardship Director.

Photo by Barbara A. Preston

The farm is owned by the state and is currently preserved as farmland through legislation. In 2009, former Montgomery Mayor Louise Wilson had said the township would like to see Skillman Farm transferred into the farmland preservation program. Township officials then wanted assurances the property could not be declared surplus and sold off for another use — such as high density housing. [From The Montgomery News archives]

At one time, the state of NJ owned 1,000 acres as reflected in the colored parcels above. Lauren Wasilauski, Montgomery's Open Space and Stewardship Director, said the state land was divided up over time. It now includes privately owned [Princeton Show Jumping, Princeton Preserves Farm] and a church on Skillman Road and Skillman Park (in the tan area above. Also, Montgomery High School(light green area on the left), and SAVE Animal Rescue (bright orange area on the left). The two sage areas above, to the left and right, is the remaining 395 acres that Montgomery Township wants to own.

Rec Center, Public Works, and Sewage Treatment Plant Expansion Eyed for the Farm

In addition to preserving 322 acres of the 395-acre plots of farmland on either side of Skillman Park, the initial plan calls for removing 73 acres from the Green Acres application to be designated as "open space exemptions.

A draft plan, presented to Township Committee at its March 5 meeting, outlined several “open space exceptions” for the former DOC dairy farm, located  on a rural stretch of Burnt Hill Road, across from Skillman Park, which has been called the “Holy Grail” of local environmentalists’ preservation efforts. The plan is needed for the pre-appraisal checklist requirement by Green Acres.

Non Open Space Exemptions

1. Rec Center, possible YMCA on 15 acres at the corner of Orchard and Burnt Hill roads.

   1. The Green Acres Program will not participate in funding any indoor recreational construction, despite the activity itself being recreational.

   2. The concept was presented to the Township Committee and the public “not as an official commitment to build, but to identify the specific area that would not be subject to Green Acres rules, providing the Township with future flexibility.” The committee was asked for feedback, and the item was opened for public comment and opportunity.

2. Public Works Facility on a 25.53 acres plot fronting Burnt Hill Road, next to the proposed rec center.

3. Sewage Treatment Plant Expansion Area on 32.93 acres 

4. Future Right of Way for Orchard Road, which is needed for the planned sidewalk and drainage improvements. While the township views a sidewalk as a recreational enhancement, Green Acres rules classify it as a road improvement, meaning they will not participate in funding that portion of the land acquisition.

5. Existing Cemetery - 1.28 acres

Savron said officials presented the draft plan to the Open Space Committee (OSC an advisory board appointed by the mayor) in February and to the township committee on March 5  to get feedback. “We will review comments and possibly revise,” she said. A second meeting with OSC is scheduled for Thursday, March 12.

Mayor Neena Singh said at the meeting, “The reason the staff is putting this together is that the whole community is asking for a rec center. When that will happen, who knows. Similarly, DPW [Department of Public Works] is in a flood waters area. That is the reason you are seeing this.”

Singh stressed the urgency of the acquisition. She said the township's primary consideration must be the fact that they are "so close to acquiring this property for our community." She said, the land is "better in our hands... than the state's hands."

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Public Comments

Open Space Committee:

A public comment segment of the meeting brought forth criticism from Open Space Committee Leader Clem Fiori regarding the proposed non-parkland uses on the Burnt Hill Road property, particularly the conceptual plans for a Public Works facility and a potential YMCA.

Fiori expressed the open space committee's "shock" and "consternation" upon learning that conceptual plans for non-open space uses were already at an "advanced stage."

“This came before our open space committee two weeks ago and we were all back-on-our-heels in shock,” Fiori said. “Not severe shock, but confounded a bit by seeing … this was at a fairly advanced stage of conceptual development to uses that were not open space.”

The open space committee’s primary concerns centered on the impact on the environmentally significant Rock Brook Stream Corridor, which is considered a special part of the Open Space Master Plan and a "Bio Reserve Area." 

Fiori suggested that the proposed Public Works and YMCA facilities would "totally interrupt" the connectivity of preserved open space and habitat corridors, which is one of the "most endangered" parts of the state as identified through the  CHANJ [Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey.

Fiori also noted that the conceptual uses violate the goal of preserving productive farmland, as the property was previously fertile pastureland. 

Furthermore, the committee raised alarms about potential traffic exacerbation, especially if a YMCA were to be built. They voiced concern about protecting the peaceful character of Skillman Park, which they worry could become a commuter cut-through if traffic circulation is significantly increased by adding a Public Works facility and a YMCA to the immediate area.

Finally, the Open Space Committee advocated for protecting existing trail linkages, specifically a de facto pathway along an existing sewer easement that they had identified as a good potential connection for neighbors to the east to access Skillman Park. Fiori urged the Township Committee to allow for more input from the Open Space Committee as the planning process moves forward.

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Reed Chapman, a resident and member of the Montgomery Friends of Open Space,  expressed strong support for the Township's interest in acquiring the state-owned land, calling the nearly 400 acres "the holy grail of our land preservation efforts." 

This acquisition, which represents 160% of the size of Skillman Park, is seen as a "rare opportunity" to preserve essential connections for parks and animal habitats through the Rock Brook Corridor/Greenway.

However, Reed also raised several concerns about the details of the potential redevelopment and requested greater transparency:

Key Concerns and Questions raised by Chapman:

• Redevelopment Plans: Concern over how the land might be redeveloped, emphasizing the need for public support and learning from the challenges of the Skillman Park acquisition.

• Specific Uses: Noted possible plans for Skillman Dairy but asked for clarity on the use of the farmland around Montgomery High School. Suggested redeveloping the Farm Manager's house, possibly as a group home like the former Pine Knoll.

• Traffic Impact: Questioned placing a potential YM/YWCA facility across from Orchard Road School, suggesting an alternative location across from the Otto Kaufman Community Center to mitigate traffic impacts.

• Affordable Housing: Asked if the addition of the "DOC Lands" would impact the township's affordable housing mandate in any way.

• Unappraised Parcels: Asked the committee to revisit the Open Space Committee’s year-old recommendation to appraise three small landlocked parcels near Brookview, the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, and Bessie Grover Park.

• Public Access Linkages: Described three specific potential path linkages for public access through the Skillman Dairy side, including to paths to Route 518, end of Opossum Road, the new Wismer Park, and the Upper Cemetery/Washington Well Park.

• Aesthetics: Asked whether the township has considered screening and softening the visual impact of a Public Works HQ and container facility, which is on what is considered prime farmland.

• Potential Community Garden Site: A speaker identified the six acres of Maplewood and the fields across from the Otto Kaufman Community Center as potential sites for a community garden, which may qualify as Open Recreation or Agriculture.

  
  

Montgomery Friends is a nonprofit all-volunteer organization formed in March 2002 with a main goal to preserve remaining open land in Montgomery Township, to act as stewards for the properties already preserved, and to run a farmers’ market to support local agriculture.

Next Steps

Green Acres acquisition process. The township is currently at steps 3 and 4.

Montgomery Township Planner Lori Savron, who is also the township administrator, told The Montgomery News that officials are still in the early stages of hopefully acquiring the NJ DOC lands for the township.

"We are not saying exactly what will go on the unrestricted land," she said. "This is just a working document at this time. The township does not own a lot of unrestricted land. We are trying to get an appraisal, an estimate of the per-acre value of the land while preserving some flexibility for the township. We got some feedback from the Open Space Committee, and we have not had a chance to debrief. This is a precursor to opening this up to public comment."

It should be noted that Savron and Wasilauski, who have both worked for Montgomery Township for more than 20 years each, have preserved nearly 8,000 acres of existing and proposed open space, representing almost 40% of the township. They are skilled in proficient land use planning and allocation of financial resources, and have used they township's bonding ability, open space tax, and the NJ Green Acres program to provide a steady, secure funding source dedicated to preserving land. #