The yellow border shows the 411-acre property. D.R. Horton plans 857 townhouses and apartments in the northern half and Burlington County will preserve the southern half. Eayrestown Road runs along the left side of the property and Newbolds Corner Road on the lower left.Â
More than half of a 411-acre Lumberton site that will be partly developed with a controversial 857-unit townhouse project will be preserved as open space by Burlington County, the County Commission has decided.
Commission members in June approved spending up to $3.73 million to preserve 226 acres at the southern end of the property under the Farmland Preservation program.
The county expects final closing on the preservation purchase by early 2027, David Levinsky, Burlington County public information officer, told 70and73.com
On the northern part of the land, a "Lumberton Village" development at Eayrestown and Newbolds Corner roads is part of Lumberton's affordable housing plan with units in the D.R. Horton project helping to fulfill the commitment for lower-cost housing.
Horton's project will include 506 market-rate townhouses, 179 senior citizen townhouses, 92 affordable family apartments and 80 age-restricted affordable apartments. The plan itself still requires Township approval.
Lumberton residents questioned Horton managers and Township officials at a meeting on the project on May 21.
Previous 70and73.com coverage: Lumberton residents struggle with notion of huge 857-unit housing plan with affordable component.
Levinsky said the Lumberton preservation project is part of the county program that has preserved more than 67,000 acres of farmland, which he said is more than any county in New Jersey and in the top 10 nationally.
Even more farmland preservation was announced by the county on Thursday, although far less acreage than the Lumberton plan:
• Bruch Farm in Chesterfield, 59 acres
• Kirby Farm in Pemberton Township, 50 acres
• Lounsberry Farm in Springfield, 169 acres
• Russo Farm in Tabernacle, 37 acres
• Seward Farm in Southampton, 22 acres
• Specca Farm in Springfield, 82 acres
• Varano Farm in Tabernacle, 110 acres
State funding will cover 80% of the cost for the seven farms and Burlington County's Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund will cover the remainder. Municipalities are not required to pay a share.
"Farming and agriculture have always been a major part of life in Burlington County, and our board has made it our mission to do everything possible to keep the industry strong and viable for the present and the future," said Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson. "The Burlington County Farmland Preservation Program is essential to that goal, and we’re pleased to take this step to protect more acres of farmland."
