HOPEWELL TWP.: Preservation ensured, 51-acre farm now for sale to a conservation buyer

The 51-acre Muscente farm on Route 518 in Hopewell Township was preserved by D&R Greenway Land Trust in January. When the farm was offered on the retail market, D&R Greenway acted quickly to purchase it, ensuring that the farm would not be developed.
Now that the farm has been preserved, it is back on the market.
“The historic Muscente farm is a critical piece of the Hopewell farming community, close to D&R Greenway’s St. Michaels Farm Preserve and other large expanses of preserved land,” says D&R Greenway President & CEO Linda Mead. “To make sure that it would not be lost to development, D&R Greenway’s Board of Trustees authorized the use of our Revolving Land Fund to preserve it, and the resale of the property to a conservation buyer.”
D&R Greenway is seeking a conservation buyer for the property. The property includes a renovated and expanded historic farmhouse surrounded by fields, with long-distance views of the Sourland ridge. D&R says the wide rectangular shape is compatible with any number of agricultural activities that would fit the conservation purpose of the site, from a pick-your-own fruit orchard to a wine vineyard, sustainable market garden or horse farm.
“Being able to move quickly to secure a property for open space preservation is critical, especially now when the availability and timing of public funds is uncertain,” says D&R Greenway Trustee Betsy Sands. “D&R Greenway has established the Revolving Land Fund to apply private funding to land preservation. After the land is permanently protected, it can be sold and the funds used to replenish the Revolving Land Fund so that another open space opportunity can be pursued.”
“Preserving land in our community is critical to protect special places that mean so much to the people who live and work here, and to future generations,” said Mead. “We’re protecting woods for migrating songbirds, farms that grow wholesome food, and recreational areas for people to enjoy. Preserved land protects water quality, improves health and sustains life.”
D&R Greenway Land Trust is in its 27th year of preserving and protecting natural lands, farmlands and open spaces in central and southern New Jersey. In that time, it has preserved almost 20,000 acres, including 28 miles of trails open to the public.