Cherry Hill, Evesham/Marlton, Medford, Medford Lakes, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Voorhees and elsewhere near the iconic state highways of Routes 70 and 73.
Holly Ravine Farm, now owned and preserved by Cherry Hill Township. Evesham Road is at the bottom and Springdale Road to the right. The two farmhouses were demolished earlier this year. The Shoppes at Holly Ravine, lower right, used to be part of the farm but the land was sold for development and the shopping area opened in 1990.
Holly Ravine Farm, now owned and preserved by Cherry Hill Township. Evesham Road is at the bottom and Springdale Road to the right. The two farmhouses were demolished earlier this year. The Shoppes at Holly Ravine, lower right, used to be part of the farm but the land was sold for development and the shopping area opened in 1990.
In an era when farmland is disappearing to development, Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleisher says he's excited by the idea of going in the opposite direction.
"We are on the verge of accomplishing something virtually unheard of in New Jersey," Fleisher told 70and73.com Monday in an interview.
Fleisher said Cherry Hill expects to add a working farm in a mature suburban community by leasing about 9.5 acres of Township-owned Holly Ravine Farm to a farmer to grow crops.
Township Council on Monday night will vote on a resolution to authorize bidding on the agricultural lease for the property at Evesham and Springdale roads.
While farming on less than 10 acres isn't a huge agri-endeavor, returning part of Holly Ravine to crops underscores the reasons the town spent $3,859,000 to save the farm from development and preserve it as open space.
The balance of the farm, about 12 acres, will be for public passive recreation use as new trails are opened and the ravine becomes available for hiking on the land that former Mayor John C. Gilmour Jr.began farming about 100 years ago. Two Gilmour family farmhouses on the property were demolished earlier this year.
Fleisher called the Holly Ravine plan one piece of a "trifecta of protecting neighborhoods."
A new park with a playground, open space and a recreational area will open in the Kingston neighborhood in about 60 days on the site of the failed Kingston Swim Club, which the Township acquired and demolished. An old street hockey court owned by the Township is being rebuilt and will be blended in with the former swim club property.
The third piece is a playground and open space in the Brookfield neighborhood that will open in 60 to 90 days, Fleisher said.Â
A 4.6-acre swath that formerly held the USS New Jersey Lodge No. 62 Free and Accepted Masons was acquired by Cherry Hill after a developer disclosed a plan to use the property for a drug rehab center, Fleisher said.
The land is bounded by Haddonfield-Berlin, Ashbrook and Oakdale roads and Route 295.
